The European Union is reportedly considering a new crackdown on Russia's lucrative oil export industry, eyeing the narrow Nordic waterways through which one-third of Moscow's crude access global markets.
The Financial Times reported on Wednesday—citing unnamed European officials—that Denmark has been tapped to inspect and potentially block tankers carrying Russian oil through its waters, seeking ships that do not have Western insurance.
EU states have been trying to turn the screws on Russia's oil export economy in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but Moscow has managed to maintain huge incomes through a variety of sanctions-busting measures.
These include the use of so-called "ghost" ships, which are insured in non-Western states and switch off their automatic identification systems to avoid being tracked.
The FT suggested that EU discussions are underway for Denmark to check Russian shipping in the Danish Straits, made up of five narrow waterways running between Denmark and Sweden that connect the Baltic Sea to the North Sea.
Around one-third of Russia's seaborne oil exports—making up some 1.5 percent of global supply—pass through this route. Moscow's flagship Urals oil is shipped from the ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga in the eastern Baltic Sea, close to the city of St. Petersburg and the Baltic Fleet naval base on Kronstadt. The route also takes the tankers past the fleet's headquarters in the exclave of Kaliningrad.
In this respect, the Danish Straits represent a potential choke point for Russian crude exports, though only if the reported plan moves from discussion to implementation. An unnamed Danish defense official told the FT: "In short, we don't check paperwork or ships passing or sailing through the straits, unless it has to do with safety at sea."
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry by email to request comment.
The Danish Foreign Ministry told Newsweek in a statement that it would not comment on "speculations in the press."
"In general, Denmark has consistently supported the most stringent sanctions that can be agreed upon within the EU," the ministry said. "Denmark has consistently backed initiatives aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of sanctions through improved implementation and counteraction of sanctions evasion. Due to factors such as Denmark's geography, Danish authorities naturally closely monitor maritime activities."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also dismissed questions about the reported discussions. "Everyone should be cautioned in advance about the need to comply with all the rules of international commercial shipping," Peskov told reporters.
"Are you proposing discussing such serious things based on the publication of a newspaper that does not even have a link to anyone specific?" Peskov asked. "Let's wait for tangible information, and then we'll talk about what to do."
Any new restrictions in the Baltic Sea—now referred to by some officials as the "NATO Lake" following the accession of Finland and planned accession of Sweden to the alliance—could exacerbate tensions between Moscow and its Western adversaries.
"Denmark has never done anything like that before. Blocking commercial traffic in the Danish straits would come close to a declaration of war," Hans Peter Michaelsen, an independent defense analyst, told Reuters.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
David Brennan is Newsweek's Diplomatic Correspondent covering world politics and conflicts from London with a focus on NATO, the European ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
