Russia has placed individuals with military and intelligence backgrounds aboard oil tankers used to transport sanctioned crude through the Baltic Sea, according to a joint regional investigation.
Observers listed 20 voyages and identified 17 Russian nationals sailing on shadow fleet vessels in the Gulf of Finland.
Many appeared on manifests without maritime qualifications and were listed as “supernumeraries,” or those not part of the ship’s standard operating crew.
Over a dozen of the individuals were linked to Moscow’s state-funded Wagner Group, paratrooper units, and the GRU military intelligence service.
Investigators said the additional personnel began appearing regularly on Baltic tanker voyages around 2025, but were not observed on routes from Russia’s Black Sea or Pacific ports.
Security Teams, Liaisons
European intelligence officials noted that the military contractors, often two men aboard one ship, serve as covert “vessel protection teams” meant to discourage authorities from boarding or seizing tankers that carry Russian oil despite Western sanctions.
They added that the groups also act as middlemen between tanker crews and the Russian Armed Forces units operating in the region.
Deployments involve uniformed personnel with weapons, while other vessels use mannequins resembling guards on deck to create the impression of heavier security.
According to an intelligence official familiar with the matter, the increase of the shadow fleet in the region “raises the stakes” for any attempts to disrupt Russia’s oil trade.
“Two potentially armed individuals certainly changes [our] risk calculus when we must decide whether to stop or seize the tanker,” the source explained.
“Russia believes this makes NATO member states along the Baltic Sea more cautious.”
