Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina declared in a BBC interview on Sunday that the movement of Russia’s “shadow fleet” of ships in the Baltic Sea must be brought to an end.
Asked about plans to tighten sanctions against these “ghost ships,” Silina said that a strong and collective response is needed. She noted that Russia uses international law with its “shadow fleet,” as it has done in the past with migrants along Latvia’s border with Belarus.
Latvia’s head of government pointed to a ship that was detained earlier this week in the Baltic Sea as an argument as to why this fleet must be treated with particular caution. The “ghost ship” was accused of damaging submarine cables in the Baltic Sea and was found to be carrying spy equipment that is uncommon among cargo ships.
Silina insisted that attacks on the Baltic Sea critical infrastructure must be stopped. Latvia has already co-ordinated its response with NATO, including comparatively new member states Finland and Sweden, in pursuit of this. Silina added that the European Union is planning meetings soon to discuss the common reinforcement of sanctions against Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
Asked abut such sanctions, Latvia’s prime minister said that the movement of Russian “shadow fleet” vessels in the Baltic Sea must be halted entirely. Referring to the damaged cable, she praised the reaction of Estonia and Finland to what happened, not least in terms of drawing attention to the fact that Baltic Sea countries must have the capacity to intercept ships which ignore international maritime law and can pose a threat on the critical infrastructure of the region.
“We must find a way to prevent so many ships that can damage our critical infrastructure, but are still crossing the Baltic Sea,” Silina explained.
Source: BNS
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