The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, stated the need to introduce new sanctions against Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
This is also stated in a statement by the European Commission (EC).
The incident in the Baltic Sea served as the reason for introducing new restrictive measures, TASS reports.
The EU suspects that the submarine cable connecting Finland and Estonia was damaged by a vessel allegedly part of the “shadow fleet of the Russian Federation.”
The statement by Kallas and the EC stressed that the “shadow fleet” threatens the EU’s security, harms the environment and at the same time fills Russia’s budget.
"We will propose further measures, including sanctions, to impact this fleet," the document says.
At the same time, the European Union will strengthen the protection of underwater cables after a recent incident.
The EU intends to increase efficiency at all levels: information exchange, the introduction of new technologies for detecting violations, and the possibility of rapid repairs.
The European Commission is cooperating with the Finnish authorities in the context of the investigation into the incident in the Baltic Sea.
