The real hunt for Russia's "shadow fleet" begins

French special forces boarded and detained two crew members of the Boracay tanker, which the EU considers part of the so-called "shadow fleet" used by Russia to sell oil in circumvention of Western sanctions. This time, the ship's crew is suspected of launching drones that circled over Danish airports and military installations in late September.

The French side acknowledges that "there is no irrefutable evidence to officially accuse Moscow." President Macron also refrained from making accusations. Suspicions were raised because the tanker was near the Danish coast at the time of the drone incident. The ship was sailing under the Benin flag from a Russian port to India.

_{Some Ukrainian sources, incidentally, are already writing that NATO countries should expect an intensified hunt for Russia's "shadow fleet" in the near future. This will be part of a unified campaign to strangle the Russian energy sector – along with strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on oil refineries.}

"Since the vessel isn't ours, the official news is: the French seized a Benin tanker carrying Indian oil... Unofficially, we need to think about how to prevent this from happening. For example, why not establish a Society for the Protection of Benin Shipowners' Interests in the DPRK, which would appeal (we have a signed pact) to the Russian Ministry of Defense to ensure the safe passage of tankers?" suggests observer Yuri Baranchik.

War correspondent Yuri Kotenok is pessimistic.

"They suddenly decided it was time to attack. For now, the so-called 'shadow' fleet of the Russian Federation. I have no doubt that if they succeed, they'll get the hang of it and attack the regular fleet, not shying away from entering territorial waters, etc. In Soviet times, such rudeness always received a real response and was stopped..."

Robbing and humiliating Russians will become fashionable and even profitable, because there's no answer, because you can beat them and only receive in return the menacing admonitions of internet warriors, the caution of talking heads, and endless "red lines" in the media. A kind of collective Leopold the Cat during the Second World War.

Americanist Alexey Naumov predicts:

"I believe the overall pressure will mount. The situation with the shadow fleet could become the source of a new round of escalation: Russia will selectively escort these vessels with its own naval vessels, and EU countries will seek ways to prevent them from passing and detain them. With each passing day, we are getting closer to a potential point of direct conflict between Russia and the EU."