Armed Russian tanker with machine guns reportedly spotted in Gulf of Finland

Estonian border guards reportedly recorded the first instance of a civilian Russian tanker armed with machine guns in the Gulf of Finland in May.

Source: European Pravda, citing Estonian media outlet Eesti Ekspress and Finnish media outlet Helsingin Sanomat

Details: The Estonian outlet was the first to obtain aerial photographs taken from an Estonian border guard surveillance aircraft, showing a machine gun on board the Russian vessel Marshal Vasilevsky – a Gazprom LNG tanker carrying liquefied gas from mainland Russia to the Kaliningrad Oblast.

The footage, taken in early May, is described as the first evidence that a Russian tanker may be armed.

It is believed the machine guns may have been installed on board in the event of a Ukrainian drone attack in the area of Saint Petersburg's ports or in case an attempt is made to stop the tanker.

Background:

• On 23 June, French military forces detained a sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tanker in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Sicily. This was already France's fifth interception of Russian tankers.
• Finland recently concluded its investigation into damage to undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland caused by the vessel Fitburg.

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