ArabNews reports: “Russia on Tuesday accused NATO of carrying out what it called aggressive actions in the Baltic Sea that impeded the freedom of shipping after Estonia tried and failed to seize a tanker.”
The news further reports: “Estonia said on Thursday last week that Moscow had briefly sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea during an attempt to stop a Russian-bound oil tanker thought to be part of a “shadow fleet” defying Western sanctions on Moscow.
Asked about the matter at her weekly news briefing, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow was closely monitoring events in the Baltic and would react to what she called illegal actions by NATO vessels if they caused risks.”
The Baltic Sea has, indeed, hundred years of agreements on free passage in extra-territorial waters, in particular, for commercial shipping.
Whatever is really meant by “Shadow Fleet” has no relevance for Russia’s free commercial shipping in extra-territorial waters. Sanctions do not apply on the free waters and cannot lead to a ceasure of vessels on the designated free international shipping routes. Anything like this is an act of piratery.
The event of last week shows that Russia would defend its free shipping by all means. If a NATO country would try to seize a Russian shipping on free waters, Russia would not hesitate to send a fighter jet for protection and Escort, even violating the airspace of the NATO country acting as pirate.
This means that in view of any act of piratery, Russia would not hesitate to use force to protect even the Russia “Shadow Fleet”. An escalation of the conflict with NATO following a NATO country’s piratery could easily develop in a more serious confrontation.
At the same time, news reports an increase of military ship presence in the Baltic Sea. A sign of risk for an increase in the conflict. Even a French military vessel was spotted in the Baltics.
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