Media learned of EU plans to seize Russian tankers

The European Union (EU) is drafting new legislation to seize oil tankers that Western countries suspect of transporting Russian oil through the Baltic Sea. This was reported by Politico on February 10, citing sources.

"European countries are holding behind-the-scenes talks about large-scale seizures of Moscow's oil tankers in the Baltic Sea, two EU diplomats and two government officials report," the piece said.

As the publication found out, EU countries have already started drafting new legislation to give legal weight to future efforts to seize ships. This may include using international law to detain ships for piracy and environmental reasons. Otherwise, countries "can act on their own" by enacting new national laws.

According to Politico, the proposals under discussion fall into three groups.

"First, authorities could seize ships that risk damaging the local environment, such as through oil spills," the publication says.

The publication specifies that they are talking about tankers whose age has exceeded 15 years.

The second point is the use of piracy laws by the authorities against ships allegedly threatening critical underwater infrastructure.

If the option of using international law does not work, countries are discussing a third way - "jointly enacting new national laws" that could make it easier to arrest ships. Such measures could include, for example, requiring tankers in the Baltic Sea to rely on reliable insurers. Countries such as Estonia and Finland would then be able to detain ships relying on other, less reliable operators.

The Baltic Nine: How NATO is making the region the next "flashpoint" for Russia

Europe prepares to independently contain Russia on the eastern flank of the alliance

On February 6, Russian Ambassador to Belgium Alexander Tokovinin said that Russia will retaliate against NATO's operation in the Baltic Sea to patrol underwater communications. He noted that the alliance's new plan to launch Operation Baltic Sentinel, which includes sending additional warships and aviation, was adopted in January 2025.

On January 23, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that NATO's steps in trying to create artificial barriers to navigation in the Baltic Sea are aimed not at improving security, but at deterring Russia. The diplomat specified that the protection of underwater infrastructure was not included in this list.