Antalya, Turkey — Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has accused Russia of a provocative breach of NATO airspace after a Russian military aircraft allegedly entered Estonian territory during an incident involving a suspected shadow fleet oil tanker.
Speaking on May 15 in Antalya, Turkey, ahead of a NATO informal meeting, Tsahkna said the Estonian Navy was attempting to intercept the unflagged tanker Jaguar in the Gulf of Finland when a Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet entered NATO airspace for nearly a minute.
“The Russian Federation is ready to protect the ‘shadow fleet’… the situation is really serious,” Tsahkna warned, emphasizing the increasing tension in the Baltic region. “This fighter jet violated NATO territory for close to one minute,” he stated, suggesting deliberate military involvement by Moscow in shielding its maritime operations from international scrutiny.
The term “shadow fleet” refers to aging, poorly maintained oil tankers that Russia allegedly uses to evade Western sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine. These vessels often sail without proper documentation, flags, or insurance, and are registered under obscure jurisdictions to mask ownership.
The Jaguar was reportedly navigating through international waters in the Gulf of Finland when it was identified by Estonian maritime authorities as suspicious. Estonian outlet ERR reported that the ship had no identifiable flag — a violation of international maritime law — prompting Estonia to respond with aerial and naval assets.
According to defense sources cited by Militarny, Estonia dispatched an AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter, an M28 Skytruck reconnaissance aircraft, and the patrol vessel EML Raju to intercept the Jaguar.
The ship refused to cooperate with Estonian authorities and was eventually escorted back toward Russian territorial waters near the port of Primorsk.
The incursion by the Russian fighter jet is being viewed in Tallinn as a calculated show of force, likely intended to dissuade NATO member states from interfering with Russia’s shadow oil exports. It also comes amid rising scrutiny of the Kremlin’s circumvention of sanctions.
Tsahkna’s remarks come just weeks after Estonia intercepted another shadow fleet tanker, the Kiwala, on April 11, underlining a pattern of confrontations in the Baltic Sea involving vessels suspected of aiding Russia’s oil trade under the radar of global regulations.
Ukraine, which has been at the forefront of exposing illicit oil trade networks, has sanctioned several individuals, including captains of Russian and Iranian tankers believed to be violating export restrictions.
In a separate report published by Bloomberg earlier this year, many Russian tankers have been forced to reflag under less reputable jurisdictions, often linked to smaller nations with limited regulatory oversight, further complicating maritime enforcement efforts by the EU and NATO allies.
As tensions continue to mount in the region, Estonia has called for greater NATO vigilance and coordination in policing maritime traffic. “We must take this seriously. This is not just about oil — this is about sovereignty and security,” Tsahkna concluded.