EU Weighs New Measures to Rein in Russia’s Expanding Shadow Fleet

Brussels is considering another round of restrictive actions aimed at those enabling Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” to move oil, as the bloc intensifies efforts to curb Moscow’s capacity to fund its war in Ukraine.

Sources say EU foreign ministers, gathering in Brussels on Thursday, will examine ways to boost cooperation with ship-registering nations in order to disrupt Russia’s methods for evading existing sanctions.

In a document circulated ahead of the meeting, Poland put forward proposals for fresh rules and closer coordination between member states, particularly on contentious questions such as whether authorities should have the right to board vessels. The document notes that the EU has engaged in extensive diplomatic outreach to these “flag states,” describing the effort as “very successful” in convincing many of them to deregister ships linked to Russia’s sanction-bypassing network. Warsaw also called for the participation of port and coastal states, as well as companies involved in facilitating the fleet’s activities.

EU foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas sharpened the tone this week, arguing that Moscow’s interference across the bloc must be treated as terrorism. “These acts of sabotage that they are organizing on our territory in various countries are extremely, extremely serious,” Kallas said during a Bloomberg event on Tuesday.

Any additional actions under discussion would form part of the EU’s twentieth sanctions package targeting Russia, according to the same sources, who spoke anonymously.

Ministers are also expected to debate how to secure urgent financial support for Ukraine.

Belgium has reservations about a European Commission plan to tap frozen Russian central bank assets to back loans for Kyiv, citing legal concerns tied to the funds — most of which are immobilized in Belgium. The Commission has put forward two alternatives, a €90bn grant or a loan backed by EU debt, but either option is unlikely to be finalized before March, by which point Ukraine may face a severe funding shortfall.

EU officials are now rushing to prepare a legal draft that leaders can examine at their December summit in Brussels. Belgian representatives insist they will not sign off until they have reviewed a concrete legal proposal and are pushing for coordinated action with the Group of Seven. The matter is expected to feature in discussions on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 gathering.

The meeting of foreign ministers will also confront the surge in hybrid attacks across Europe. Over the weekend, Poland was shaken by an explosion that destroyed a railway line, an incident Warsaw labeled as sabotage and attributed to Russia. NATO’s eastern flank has faced repeated drone incursions spilling over from the war zone in Ukraine, along with arson attacks that authorities likewise blame on Moscow.

Kallas underscored the need for a firm response. “What they are trying to achieve right now is to sow fear in our societies so that we will not help Ukraine,” she said at the Bloomberg event. She added that Russia aims to erode European support for Kyiv because “this is now coming to our homeland.”

By fLEXI tEAM