VILNIUS: Estonia has released images showing machine guns and sandbags mounted on a Russian-flagged liquefied natural gas carrier in the Baltic Sea this spring, signalling a more confrontational stance by Moscow in protecting its civilian fleet.
The surveillance images show fortified machine gun positions on the bridge roof of the Marshal Vasilevskiy, a civilian vessel whose home port is Kaliningrad.
Armed guards are common on ships transiting piracy hotspots, but it is “a crazy new step” for civilian vessels in the Baltic, said Yoruk Isik, a geopolitical analyst who runs the Bosphorus Observer consultancy.
“This is a hostile move by Russia to send a message to EU and NATO nations that it will actively oppose any attempt to detain or inspect its ships,” Isik told Reuters.
“There is no justification for self defense posture like a machine gun in the Baltic... This clearly shows that the high seas are becoming increasingly lawless.”
