Media: mercenaries possibly linked to Wagner Group found in Russia's shadow fleet

Russian personnel with experience as mercenaries and security operatives have begun appearing among the crews of the shadow fleet tankers transporting Russian oil.

According to Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, the mercenaries monitor the crews and prevent the vessels from falling into the hands of Western countries.

HS, together with Baltic states news website Delfi and the international investigative journalism centre OCCRP, identified 17 individuals aboard shadow fleet ships operating in the Gulf of Finland who did not have maritime qualifications.

In particular, 12 of them may have links to the Wagner Group or Russia's military intelligence.

Representatives of several Western military and civilian intelligence agencies, including the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo), confirmed the conclusions about the presence of the so-called security groups on board.

Supo told the newspaper that Russian "security personnel" embedded among the crew may in some cases also act as a liaison between the shadow fleet and Russian armed forces, which have recently increased their presence in the Baltic Sea.

Media outlets have previously reported that European countries are discussing the possibility of seizing Russia's shadow fleet tankers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said that it would be appropriate to modernise European legislation so that tankers transporting Russian oil could not only be detained but also confiscated.