Tuomas Väisänen 📼 🇺🇦 vis.social/@waeiski

Russian shadow fleet not just allows Russia to earn money for its war on Ukraine but is also an environmental catastrophe waiting to happen. In a September video by Yle. fi, experts explain that about 70% of the tankers used in the Russian shadow fleet are at least 15 years old. They do not go through proper servicing which increases the risk of technical issues and malfunctions. A lot of these vessels have been blacklisted in the first place because their condition is so bad (meaning they are not allowed to sail) but they still continue voyaging through the Gulf of Finland, for example. Many of them sail under the jurisdictions of different countries, which makes them harder to track. The risk of an oil spill is getting more and more likely - and the shadow vessels carry tens of thousands tons of oil. The environmental disaster that would follow would have an unprecedented scale. It will affect all forms of wildlife and sea life, destroy the business of fishermen and coastal tourism for years, if not decades. Its aftermath for the environment would be indescribable, and the costs to mitigate such a disaster will be exorbitant. Since Russian shadow fleet tankers mostly don't have proper insurance, there is very little chance that any payments will follow that will cover the costs. These expenses will have to be borne by the country/countries near which this will happen, combined with future economic losses caused by damage to the environment. Moreover, Russian shadow fleet tankers are an extra burden for the coast guards as they have to check more vessels (again, many of them are in very poor condition) and have extra training, working on scenarios of possible environmental disasters. According to experts quoted by Yle. fi, from January 2022 to August 2024, 380 million tons of Russian oil and other petroleum products went through the Gulf of Finland, earning Russia more than $220 billion for the war in Ukraine. It is obvious at this point that tackling Russian shadow fleet and cutting off or substantially decreasing Russian oil profits is a top priority towards ending the war and ensuring lasting peace. However, as with almost everything in this war, stopping Russia is also very important for the environment - globally and locally. Currently, this fleet is a ticking bomb that can explode tens of thousand of oil into water at any moment.