NICOSIA, June 8. /TASS/. EU member states have authorized their warships operating in the Mediterranean as part of Operation IRINI to detain foreign tankers suspected of transporting Russian oil as part of what Brussels describes as the "shadow fleet," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

TASS has summed up what is known to this moment.

Kallas’ statement

EU member countries have authorized their warships to detain foreign tankers suspected of shipping Russian oil, Kallas said.

This applies to tankers described by Brussels as "shadow fleet."

According to Kallas, the main objective of the measure is to "curb Russia from funding" its military operation in Ukraine.

Operation IRINI

"Operation IRINI has changed the rules of engagement and has now started to board the ships as well," she said.

In her words, "the idea is to change the best practices that different countries [of the EU] are doing with those ships."

Operation IRINI was launched by the EU in the Mediterranean in 2020 to inspect commercial vessels and prevent illegal arms shipments to Libya, however, it did not succeed in achieving that objective.

Opinion

The authorization to EU vessels to detain tankers with Russian oil in the Mediterranean will only add to the risks of further escalation, Konstantin Basyuk, deputy chairman of the defense and security committee of the Russian Federation Council, or upper house of parliament, told TASS.

Europe continues staking on confrontation instead of trying to find long-term mechanism of security, he said.

This decision is geared against "the prospects for the resumption of normal relations and establishing lasting peace in the future" rather than against Russia’s economy, Basyuk added.

Protection of ships

In March, Russia’s Maritime Board chaired by presidential aide Nikolay Patrushev worked out additional measures to protect Russian-registered vessels or those sailing from Russian ports.

Shipowners working with Russia received instructions to seek protection from the Russian Navy, Patrushev said.

Apart from that, monitoring of cargo ships carrying freight for Russia has been tightened.

It was stated that the Russian Navy will "ensure safe navigation based on the facility-by-facility and zone-by-zone approach."