Germany should make much greater use of existing legal tools to counter Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, which not only helps finance Moscow’s war against Ukraine but is also used for sabotage and espionage against Germany itself.
According to Ukrinform, the statement was made in an interview by Robin Wagener, Head of the German-Ukrainian Parliamentary Friendship Group and a member of the Alliance 90/The Greens.
“There can be no situation where the Baltic Sea continues to serve as a kind of ‘pipeline’ for funds flowing into Russia’s war chest, which finances its aggressive war against Ukraine. At the same time, many of these vessels are used as platforms for sabotage, espionage, and other hybrid operations against Germany,” Wagener said.
He noted that the Bundestag, following an initiative by the Greens faction, had already called on the federal government to take tougher action against the shadow fleet. However, he said that despite government statements promising stronger measures, too little has been done in practice.
“Several months have passed since we introduced the initiative, and there has been great disappointment that not enough has been done,” he said.
