The EU Has Found A Way To Finish Off Putin's "shadow Fleet"

• 17.12.2025, 8:59

It's about changes in trade policy.

The European Union is discussing new measures to put pressure on Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," which helps circumvent oil sanctions and generates significant revenue for Moscow to continue its war in Ukraine.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Mihal said this, as quoted by Bloomberg.

He estimated that through the operation of the "shadow fleet," Putin's Russia receives almost half of the funds that are then used for military purposes. Right now, EU countries are considering additional steps to narrow down the possibilities for Russia to circumvent the restrictions.

Now several areas are being discussed at the EU level. We are talking about changes in trade policy, toughening visa rules, as well as the refusal to provide various services to the states under whose flags the ships of this fleet fly.

This approach should complicate the work of tankers involved in the transportation of Russian oil to circumvent sanctions. Kristen Michal emphasized that Estonia is already actively involved in countering the Russian fleet. Estonian services escort suspicious vessels, check documents and in some cases even detain them.

"We are already doing a lot, but the question is whether we can do more. The answer is yes," the prime minister said. Tallinn believes that without systematic and coordinated pressure on Putin's "shadow fleet," sanctions lose much of their effectiveness, so Estonia is pushing for tougher and more concerted action by the entire European Union to curb the financial flows that fuel the Russian economy and military machine.