Russia launches naval operation to protect shadow fleet, DR reports

Russia has launched a large naval operation to protect its shadow fleet, according to DR investigative journalist Niels Fastrup. He said the operation includes patrol zones in the Baltic Sea, Kattegat, the Danish straits, the North Sea and the English Channel.

The operation provides the wider context for Monday’s incident in which a Russian frigate fired two signal flares at a Danish military helicopter, Fastrup said.

“There is greatly increased tension in the Baltic Sea and Danish waters, linked to the Russian shadow fleet, which is crucial to President Vladimir Putin’s financing of the war in Ukraine,” Fastrup said.

The older tankers in the shadow fleet often sail under third-country flags. They are important to Russia’s sanctions-hit oil exports, which help finance the war in Ukraine.

Several European countries have attempted to stop the vessels to establish information about their cargo, destination, ownership and insurance. According to information from Nordic defence and intelligence sources cited by Fastrup, Russia has responded by dividing the waters into patrol zones.

Each zone is more or less permanently monitored by a Russian warship whose task is to deter Nato countries from boarding shadow-fleet tankers, he said.

Russian fighter jets intervened

Fastrup said it is not yet known exactly what task the Russian frigate involved in Monday’s incident was carrying out. However, he said the situation began escalating in May 2025.

At that time, Estonia attempted to stop a tanker sailing under the Gabonese flag that was suspected of being part of Russia’s shadow fleet. A Russian fighter aircraft confronted an Estonian naval vessel and helicopter as they tried to stop the tanker.

In April, Estonia’s navy chief told the Reuters news agency that the country was cautious about detaining suspected shadow-fleet vessels because the risk of military escalation was too high.

Several countries have nevertheless stopped suspected shadow-fleet ships. Sweden has stopped several vessels in the Baltic Sea.

“When Sweden has boarded Russian shadow-fleet tankers south of Trelleborg, in the waters between Bornholm and Sweden, the Swedish military has had armed Gripen fighter jets in the air, in principle ready to engage in an air battle if a Russian fighter aircraft were to appear,” Fastrup said.

Russian warships increasingly aggressive

The heightened tensions are also reflected in increasingly aggressive behaviour by Russian warships, Fastrup said.

He cited the example of a Russian frigate that fired several warning shots at a yacht carrying the retired British couple Jane and Alan Kelvey in the English Channel. Fastrup said the warship was carrying out a patrol as part of the operation to protect the shadow fleet.

Denmark has so far not stopped a suspected shadow-fleet vessel. Fastrup said this may be because international conventions require Denmark to allow free passage through the important shipping routes from the Baltic Sea through Kattegat.

“If, for example, you boarded a Russian tanker in the Great Belt or the Øresund, it would be extremely confrontational, because Russia could interpret it as an attempt to close the Danish straits,” he said.

Russia also appears to be deliberately avoiding actions that could be interpreted as a direct attack on a Nato country and potentially trigger Article 5, under which Nato members are obliged to defend one another.

Fastrup said the firing of signal flares, rather than live weapons, at the Danish military’s Fennec helicopter illustrated how Russia was attempting to avoid giving Nato grounds to invoke Article 5.