Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ used for sabotage and intelligence operations, Zelenskyy says

Zelenskyy made the remarks after a briefing by Lt. Gen. Oleh Ivaschenko, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service.

“Right now, the Russians are using these tankers not just to make money for the war but for intelligence gathering and even sabotage,” Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post.

“It’s absolutely possible to put a stop to this.” 

He added that Ukraine’s intelligence services are working closely with international partners, providing them with all the relevant information they gather, and urged Europe to mount a “much stronger” response to Russian interference.  

Earlier this month, Zelenskyy accused Russia of deploying its tankers to launch and control drones targeting European countries. On Oct. 2, Germany’s Der Spiegel reported that investigators were probing a possible link between a suspicious Russian cargo ship and a swarm of drones spotted over Schleswig-Holstein in late September.  

Meanwhile, Denmark’s defense intelligence has warned that Russian warships have repeatedly behaved aggressively in Danish straits connecting the Baltic and North seas. Incidents included setting collision courses, pointing weapons at Danish vessels and helicopters and disrupting navigation systems, the service said.