Vlasiuk: EU Still Hasn’t Resolved Russian Oil Transit Through Danish Straits Issue

The European Union has still not resolved the issue of Russian oil transit through the Danish Straits, despite increased sanctions targeting Russia’s shadow fleet.”

Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukraine’s presidential envoy for sanctions policy, shared with Militarnyi that the issue concerns northern EU maritime routes, from the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea, through the Danish Straits, to the North Sea.

Despite efforts by some countries, Russia continues to use this route to export oil, with the revenue funding its war effort.

“Ukraine supports stronger practical measures and hopes for further EU restrictions on the maritime transport of Russian oil and petroleum products,” Vlasiuk said.

A Swedish court in early June granted Ukraine’s request and seized the CAFFA, which Russia had been using for illegal operations.

Increasing pressure on the shadow fleet

Before a meeting of EU defense ministers in Cyprus yesterday, Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, announced that the European Union had expanded the mandate of the IRINI naval operation, allowing inspections of vessels linked to Russia’s shadow fleet.

According to Kallas, countering Russia’s shadow fleet was one of the topics discussed during the meeting of European ministers.

She noted that Operation IRINI has revised its rules of engagement and will now begin conducting inspections of vessels.

The EU believes that vessels belonging to the shadow fleet help Russia circumvent international sanctions and continue exporting oil and petroleum products.

The term generally refers to aging tankers with complex ownership structures that often rely on opaque insurance arrangements and frequently change their flags of registration.

The European Union launched Operation IRINI in 2020 to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya. Its responsibilities also include monitoring illicit oil shipments, combating smuggling, and overseeing maritime routes in the central Mediterranean Sea.