Russia has begun installing weapons on tankers, which could complicate attempts by European countries to intercept vessels carrying sanctioned oil and LNG, The Times writes.
Two fixed guns were spotted on the bridge of the Marshal Vasilevsky, one of Russia’s key tankers for transporting LNG. They are believed to be intended for protection against drones and boarding attempts.
Patrick Bolder, a defense-policy expert at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, said this looked like a signal to NATO: “Do not try to board our vessels, because that could provoke a war.”
An intelligence official noted that arming a ship such as the Marshal Vasilevsky could affect European countries’ willingness to board any vessels from Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
“If information spreads that shadow-fleet vessels may be equipped with heavy machine guns, the entire risk assessment for boarding operations carried out by Western countries will change. The likelihood that anyone will board such a vessel will become almost zero. No one will approach it by helicopter. If that was Russia’s goal, then it has been achieved,” he said.
Last week, France seized a tanker from Russia’s “shadow fleet”.
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