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- Judge for yourself: the European Union will challenge the decision to intercept Russian tankers.
Judge for yourself: the European Union will challenge the decision to intercept Russian tankers.
The Greek opposition will appeal to the European courts and the EU Parliament regarding the detention by the IRINI mission of ships or tankers allegedly linked to the Russian Federation. This was reported to Izvestia by the leader of the Greek Solution party, Kyriakos Velopoulos. According to him, the European Commission's plans lead to a direct conflict between Europe and Russia, as well as harm the economic interests of Athens. Greece's displeasure may be shared by Cyprus and Malta, which have also suffered from European restrictions on shipping. Experts believe that the chances of ending the IRINI operation are low.
The EU will discuss the powers of the IRINI mission in court
The European Union is intensifying its attempts to thwart Russian trade. The EU has moved from detaining tankers by individual countries to a coordinated policy: for this purpose, in June, at the initiative of the head of the European Diplomacy, Kai Kallas, the powers of the IRINI mission operating in the Mediterranean Sea were changed. The Union launched it in 2020 to monitor compliance with the UN arms embargo on Libya.
Now Brussels is using Operation IRINI to fight Russia, searching for vessels that allegedly act in the interests of Moscow. In particular, in early August, the Italian military, with the assistance of a Polish aircraft and a Greek patrol ship, conducted an inspection of the Tao Payoh vessel under the flag of Cameroon. Izvestia sent a request to the mission's press service.
However, not everyone in Europe approved the new EU strategy. The Greek Solution parliamentary party plans to appeal to the courts and the European Parliament over the use of the IRINI mission to obstruct Russian trade. At the same time, we are talking not only about ships flying the Russian flag, but also about tankers, which, according to Brussels, act in the interests of Russia.
"The Greek Solution party will not only not tolerate such practices, but will also strongly condemn them both in the Greek and European parliaments, as well as before the competent judicial authorities of Greece and Europe," its leader Kyriakos Velopoulos told Izvestia.
The politician stressed that such actions are tantamount to piracy on the high seas. According to him, "reckless initiatives risk increasing tensions and jeopardizing the safety of navigation and the legitimate commercial interests of Greece and other EU member states." In addition to economic difficulties, the new powers of the IRINI mission threaten a direct clash between the European Union and Russia, he is sure.
Any vessel that is not registered in the EU or G7 countries and is not insured in the West can fall into the suspicious category. The lack of legal clarity risks causing tension not only with Russia, but also in relations with third countries, MEP Fernand Kartheiser told Izvestia.
"Any action against a Russian vessel can quickly escalate into a serious international crisis,— he said.
The Greek opposition can file a claim with the EU court in several ways: independently initiate a complaint through the European Parliament or act with the help of shipowners whose interests may be affected. It is also possible to file a claim with a national authority, which will then request the position of the European Court. Egor Sergeev, a senior researcher at the MGIMO Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, told Izvestia that the prospects for a lawsuit are still extremely vague, given Athens' economic interest. Anti-Russian sentiments prevail among deputies in the European Parliament, so discussing the mission's powers in this body is important more to attract public attention than to make decisions.
Who opposes detentions and inspections of courts
For Greek carriers, ship detentions result in an increase in insurance premiums for military risks, which makes the country's commercial fleet less competitive compared to Asian companies. According to open data, insurance rates for some voyages in July 2026 increased from about 0.3% of the cost of the vessel to more than 1%, and according to some estimates — up to 3%. Athens owns about 60% of the EU merchant fleet, and Greek shipowners have historically earned billions of euros transporting cargo, including Russian ones. By the way, Greece recently managed to get an exception from the 21st package of anti-Russian sanctions banning the transportation of LNG from Russia to third countries.
Greek ships also suffer directly from military operations. As the Proto Thema newspaper reported, on August 16, Ukrainian UAVs hit the Skyros tanker after loading oil in Novorossiysk. Then two more damaged Greek ships were reported.
—The attack by Ukrainians on commercial vessels is not just a war crime, but an obvious act of terrorism," Kyriakos Velopoulos said.
However, it is not only Greece that is concerned about the expansion of restrictions in the field of maritime trade. Malta and Cyprus, which also play an important role in the shipping industry, had previously warned the EU that tougher sanctions against Russia could hit bona fide shipowners. They also sought the exclusion of certain ports of third countries from the sanctions lists. It is possible that they will take a cautious position on the issue of detaining ships.
At the same time, the IRINI mission is allowed to inspect individual suspicious vessels, but the ability to detain or confiscate them is extremely limited, Pavel Anisimov, deputy director of the Institute of International Relations and Political Sciences at the Russian State University of Economics, told Izvestia. Even the fact that the tanker is under EU sanctions does not create a universal right for the mission to arrest it on the high seas. Therefore, attempts to directly seize ships will be illegal in any case.
Russia's response to the EU's actions
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin reacted to the openly provocative steps of the Europeans. According to the head of state, such actions by the West are "nothing but piracy and robbery." Moscow will mirror such actions, Putin stressed.
Russia has the capabilities to protect its merchant fleet. In particular, the frigate Admiral Grigorovich escorted Russian tankers through the English Channel. Nikolai Patrushev, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation and head of the Maritime Board, previously noted that port captains can request escort of Russian ships by mobile firing groups.
Moreover, retaliatory actions, the president specified, may not necessarily follow in the same part of the World Ocean. Earlier, Izvestia reported that Moscow was ready to respond in other important areas, such as the Baltic, the Black Sea, or routes connected to Russian ports. This will be particularly sensitive for the EU due to its dependence on maritime trade. First of all, Russia's measures may hit countries with large shipping and port sectors.
The United Kingdom, Sweden and France are the most active in ship inspections and detentions, with Belgium and Estonia joining them. The French military intercepted the Tagor and Deliver tankers, the Swedish authorities detained the Caffa vessel in March, and Jin Hui in May, which, according to the West, acted in the interests of Russia. In June, British forces escorted the Smyrtos oil tanker to their port. Moreover, in August, the Swedish court decided to transfer the Caffa vessel to Ukraine. Ireland, where amendments have been made to the current legislation, can join this group of countries, Izvestia previously wrote.
Attempts to legally challenge the anti-Russian orientation of the IRINI mission in the Mediterranean are unlikely to be successful, since this strategy is supported by the European bureaucracy. However, such steps show that the costs of the EU's policy of putting pressure on Russia are getting higher. The space for new restrictions is narrowing, and further measures threaten either a clash with Moscow or disproportionate losses.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
