cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/11876230

Bulgaria has suggested Russia was behind two attacks on cargo ships near its waters on Tuesday that left eleven sailors missing, calling the escalation of the war in the Black Sea “unacceptable”.

Cargo ship HS Dignity was sunk off the Bulgarian coast overnight and 11 of its crew members remain unaccounted for. Ukrainian-owned cargo vessel Chelsea 3 was also hit by drones 18 miles from the coast, but all of its sailors have been rescued, according to Bulgarian authorities.

“We do not have solid and clear evidence to level accusations against any of the parties, but . . . logic suggests that the outcome benefits the Russian Federation,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said on television on Tuesday. Radev requested help from allies to ascertain the origin of the attacks.

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Strikes in the Black Sea have vastly increased since the summer, when Ukraine began an intensive drone campaign against Russian shipping in the region. In late September, Kyiv said it had hit more than 300 Russian shadow fleet vessels in 11 weeks.

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Radev said he had spoken to Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, who said Nato would step up its defence posture in the region as needed.

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Meanwhile, French forces intercepted a Chinese-owned crude oil tanker in the Indian Ocean which had been involved in “illicit fuel-trafficking activities”, according to French President Emmanuel Macron.

The tanker, sailing under the false flag of Benin, had a history of carrying Russian cargoes, according to commodities platform Kpler. Russia’s RIA state ​news agency said that the Russian embassy in Paris had denounced the move as “piracy” and a violation of international maritime law.

More than 20 shadow fleet vessels have been detained by European and US forces since the start of 2025.

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Archived (removepaywall.com)

  • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.ml
    23·
    2 days ago

    I’m so tired of this propaganda.

    “Shadow fleet” and “false flag” are the “oligarchs” we call “job creators”.

    Every nation uses other flags.

    • decolo@piefed.socialEnglish
      51·
      2 days ago

      The shipping industry is killing the planet, and the ships transporting sanctioned Russian oil are some of the worst. Their crews are often effectively enslaved

      • bedwyr@piefed.caEnglish
        3·
        2 days ago

        I hear slavery is not uncommon in the shipping industry. Especially in South Asia.

      • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.ml
        12·
        2 days ago

        That sounds totally true and not something you just made up at all. No need to cite anything. I completely believe you.

        I feel smarter just reading this.

        • decolo@piefed.socialEnglish
          31·
          2 days ago

          It’s well known to anyone who has been paying attention. Out of spite, and just for the benefit of anyone else who might be reading this, I’ll cite some sources.

          I look forward to your comments on how these sources are biased.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_shadow_fleet

          One point in your favor:

          “the terms shadow fleet, dark fleet, and grey fleet do not have a consistent definition and are used interchangeably by journalists and politicians, making it difficult to assess the scale of the phenomenon.”

          The tankers are often old and unmaintained:

          “Tankers approaching their end of life were purchased by Russia for Russian oil companies or opportunists to rent out for a large fee to maintain the flow of oil exports.”

          “A major issue with the Russian shadow fleet is marine insurance: Western countries have minimum criteria for insurance, which includes verification of the condition of the ship.[10][11] Two thirds of ships carrying Russian oil have insurers classed as “unknown”—with the vessels therefore lacking proper insurance.[12] Being old, they are more prone to breakdown or leakage.[13] in January 2024 the 18-year-old sanctioned Peria became stranded because of an anchor malfunction, which caused the closure of the Bosphorus to shipping.[14] Shadow ship operators disguise the true owners and do not feel obliged to maintain the ships to a high standard. Turning off automatic identification systems and undertaking open sea ship-to-ship transfers of oil increase the risk of collisions and spillages.[3]”

          https://www.source-material.org/russia-oil-shadow-fleet-crew-sanctions/

          This discusses the conditions for the crews.

          There is “high risk of injury and fire hazards”, said a post about Zolos Shipping on ‘Sea Scams’, a chat group with 10,000 members. Sailors describe agencies withholding their documents and cheating them out of wages.

          There are many similar reports from other sources. Unfortunately for our discussion, none of them are neutral or pro-kremlin so I suspect they won’t do much to change your mind.

          Have a nice day and иди на хуй