EU gives naval forces power to board Russian shadow fleet vessels
The EU has authorized inspections of vessels linked to Russia's shadow fleet (photo: Getty Images)
The EU is moving from monitoring to physical inspections of vessels linked to Russia's shadow fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, according to Vladyslav Vlasiuk, an adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine.
EU authorizes boarding operations
On June 8, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced, ahead of the second day of a meeting of defense ministers in Nicosia, that efforts to counter Russia's shadow fleet were moving to a new level.
Under Operation IRINI — an EU mission aimed at ensuring maritime security in the Mediterranean Sea — the naval forces of member states have been granted the authority to board vessels when there are reasonable suspicions regarding their identification or violations of international norms.
What is IRINI?
Operation IRINI was established in 2020 under a UN mandate, initially to enforce the arms embargo on Libya.
In 2025, its mandate was expanded to include monitoring vessels that may be circumventing sanctions, including those transporting Russian oil. However, physical inspections only began in 2026.
On June 1, an inspection team boarded the sanctioned tanker MV Oneiroi in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. The vessel is under EU and Ukrainian sanctions. The inspection was prompted by suspicions that it was operating under a false flag and was involved in transporting Russian oil.
Before that, the mission had largely been limited to surveillance, radio checks, and inspections conducted with the consent of captains.
Ukraine's reaction
"We have long expected clearer and more decisive action in this direction from the EU, as the activities of Russia's shadow fleet have been documented since 2023," said Vladyslav Vlasiuk, an adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine.
According to him, Ukraine supports stronger practical measures and expects further expansion of sanctions on the maritime transport of Russian oil and petroleum products within the EU.
At the same time, according to Vlasiuk, the issue of transporting Russian oil via northern maritime routes — from the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea through the Danish Straits to the North Sea — remains unresolved.
Russia actively uses this route for oil exports despite efforts by individual countries. Since the beginning of the year, Sweden has detained four vessels, one of which may be transferred to Ukraine.
On June 1, the French Navy boarded the sanctioned oil tanker Tagor in the Atlantic Ocean. The vessel had departed from Russia and was under international sanctions.
Meanwhile, on the same day, units of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces struck the sanctioned cargo ship Leonid Pestrikov in the port of occupied Berdiansk. The vessel was used to transport cargo from occupied Ukrainian ports.
