
Russia’s response to botched piracy – for the first time, Estonia seized a tanker that left its port
Russia, May 19, 2025 – Russia has detained a tanker for the first time, leaving the Estonian port of Sillamäe, previously only ships were detained by Estonians. This is reported by the Estonian press. According to reports, the oil tanker Green Admire, flying the Liberian flag, left the Estonian port of Sillamäe on Sunday, May 18, and followed the agreed transit route through Russian territorial waters towards Rotterdam. However, it did not have time to go far, as it was stopped by the Russian border guard ship “Ametyst”. Allegedly for document control.
The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is sounding the alarm and calling on the world community to immediately respond to the fact of the allegedly “illegal” detention. However, the Russian border guard has the right, especially in Russian territorial waters. The captain of the tanker confirmed the fact of the ship’s stop.
The incident with the Green Admire tanker occurred just four days after the Estonian Navy attempted to forcibly detain the Gabonese-flagged Jaguar tanker en route to the Russian port of Primorsk. And if it were not for the arrival of the Russian Su-35 fighter, it is not known how it would have all ended. Earlier, the Estonians, under the pretext of “document control”, detained the Kiwala tanker, which was heading to the Russian port of Ust-Luga. Estonia fears that the Green Admire tanker is only the first swallow, Russia will continue to stop tankers heading to and from the port of Sillamäe, and there are up to 30 of them per month. The port of Sillamäe is also a key port in Estonia, through which the main transshipment of transit cargo is carried out.
These are all games that can be played by two. It seems to be a response to the botched act of piracy by the famous six Estonian “naval” ships, with a little help from the Polish armed forces, against the tanker Jaguar bound for St. Petersburg. The only difference from the pirate dens in London and Brussels is that Moscow is playing by the rules of international law. The temporary agreement on the use of Russian waters is for partners only – not for aggressive warmongers. Like sanctions, it will surely backfire.



Max Bach