Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Thursday for European nations to enact laws seizing Russian oil tankers and their cargo, as a sanctioned shadow fleet vessel was struck by a naval drone near Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait on the same day.
Addressing leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a United Kingdom-led alliance of 10 Northern European countries, via video message at a summit in Helsinki, Zelensky urged coordinated legislative action. “We need joint action to create strong laws in Europe that allow countries to block Russian tankers and confiscate the oil. This should be a real tool to take away Russia’s ability to pressure Europe,” he said.
Zelensky also told the summit that Ukraine is ready to seek full membership of the JEF, having been granted enhanced partner status in Oslo in November 2025. He warned that global oil and gas markets remained deeply uncertain and that Russia must not be allowed to exploit that instability through sanctions evasion.
His remarks came hours after a dramatic incident at sea. Turkish officials confirmed that the Altura tanker, carrying approximately 140,000 tonnes of crude oil, was struck by an unmanned sea vessel some 14 nautical miles north of the Bosphorus. All 27 Turkish crew members survived, though the attack caused significant damage to the bridge and engine room. The Altura has been under European Union (EU) sanctions since October 2024 for its role in transporting Russian oil.
According to Reuters, Russia has lost up to 40 percent of its export capacity as a result of Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and shipping ports, including facilities at Primorsk and Ust-Luga in the Gulf of Finland.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer used the Helsinki summit to announce that the United Kingdom’s military will now board and detain shadow fleet tankers transiting British waters, including the English Channel. The move, he said, would force operators to divert to longer and more costly routes or risk seizure. Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten similarly pledged to intensify enforcement against vessels contributing to Russia’s war effort.
The JEF joint statement issued at the summit committed member nations to closer collaboration on shadow fleet threats, alongside a pledge to invest in drone detection and interception capabilities following a sharp rise in unmanned aerial vehicle incidents across the region.
The shadow fleet consists of ageing vessels often registered under opaque ownership structures in countries that have not joined Western sanctions against Russia, used to sell oil and petroleum products that fund Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Close to 600 ships are currently listed under EU sanctions for their suspected role in the network.
