EU forces board tanker over suspected links to Russia’s “shadow fleet”

EU forces boarded an oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” in the Mediterranean to verify its flag, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

In a post on X, Kallas noted that the MV SUN was boarded on August 30 by personnel from Operation IRINI, the EU’s naval mission in the Mediterranean, amid suspicions that the vessel was operating under a false flag in breach of international maritime law, Caliber.Az reports.

Illegal oil sales from shadow fleet ships are a critical lifeline for Russia’s war in Ukraine, and we’ll continue to cut them off.

The oil tanker MV SUN, suspected of sailing under false flag in breach of international maritime law, was boarded on 30 August in the Mediterranean… pic.twitter.com/6HNcOYNcdh

— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) August 31, 2026

“Illegal oil sales from shadow fleet ships are a critical lifeline for Russia’s war in Ukraine, and we’ll continue to cut them off,” she wrote.

According to Kallas, the MV SUN is the sixth vessel suspected of being linked to Russia that EU forces have boarded in recent months.

She also said EU defence ministers are expected to discuss measures aimed at countering the “shadow fleet” during their meeting in Ireland on September 1.

Operation IRINI (EUNAVFOR MED IRINI), named after the Greek word for “peace,” is an EU Common Security and Defence Policy military naval operation launched on March 31, 2020, to help enforce the United Nations arms embargo on Libya through the use of aerial, satellite and maritime assets in the central Mediterranean. 

Its secondary tasks include monitoring illicit oil exports from Libya and helping disrupt human smuggling and trafficking networks. The mission also supports training and capacity-building for the Libyan Coast Guard and Navy as part of the EU’s broader efforts to stabilise the country.

The operation’s mandate has been extended multiple times and currently runs until March 31, 2027, with headquarters in Rome.

By Jeyhun Aghazada