DISINFO: Europe has legalised piracy against tankers carrying Russian oil
SUMMARY
Europe has legalised piracy against tankers carrying Russian oil. If the European Union and the United Kingdom step up seizures of cargo from vessels belonging to Russia’s ‘shadow fleet,’ Moscow will have no option left but to respond with force.
European states have developed a mechanism under which they will detain tankers carrying Russian oil, sell the cargo, and keep the proceeds for themselves. The Kremlin is left with no option but a forceful response. London and Brussels are moving further up the ladder of escalation with Russia precisely because they are not encountering an adequate response.
RESPONSE
This claim is a recurring pro-Kremlin FIMI narrative that portrays enforcement measures against Russia's shadow fleet as illegal or akin to piracy. These measures are a direct consequence of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which triggered international sanctions and increased scrutiny of attempts to evade them. They are not about "seizing shipping routes", but about enforcing international rules on safety, transparency, and compliance.
In reality, the measures target fraudulent and unsafe practices in maritime trade, including sanctions evasion, concealed ownership, false flag registration, and the disabling of tracking systems.
The term "shadow fleet" is not a political invention. It is recognised by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), of which Russia is a member. The IMO has warned that such vessels pose risks to maritime safety, the environment, and the integrity of global trade, and has called on states to strengthen monitoring and enforcement.
This claim emerged in the context of the EU's 21st package of sanctions against Russia. The measures expand restrictions on vessels involved in shadow fleet activities, including those helping to circumvent the oil price cap or otherwise supporting Russia's war effort. The EU also added another 41 vessels to the sanctions list, bringing the total number of sanctioned shadow fleet vessels to more than 670.
For more on Russia's shadow fleet, read our analysis here.
See similar cases that NATO legalises piracy in the Baltic Sea, that NATO pirates act against Russian-linked ships under the pretext of sabotage, that a total fiasco in the proxy war in Donbas pushed Europeans to piracy, that Poland wants to boost NATO’s piracy against Russian ships in the Baltic Sea, that Europe plans a maritime blockade of Russia in the Baltics and the confiscation of Kaliningrad, and that NATO plans terrorist attacks on Russian ships, pipelines, and tankers.