Interception plan: Denmark prepares to detain ships in the Baltic
Copenhagen is preparing pirate operations against ships with Russian cargo, the Russian Embassy in Denmark told Izvestia. Diplomats warned that such actions would invariably be met with a strong rebuff from Moscow. Earlier, the kingdom strengthened control over tankers with Russian oil when passing through its straits and servicing on the raid under the pretext of environmental safety. According to experts, the Danish authorities have military capabilities to detain ships, but potential retaliatory measures from Russia and risks of escalation can prevent such a scenario.
Explosive situation in the Baltic
Western countries are stepping up measures to detain sanctioned vessels. On October 12, the French Navy seized the tanker DF Peak in the Indian Ocean. The Dutch authorities intend to allow the interception of vessels that allegedly act in the interests of the Russian Federation. Earlier, similar legislative amendments were adopted in Ireland.
The most difficult situation is in the Baltic Sea, where about 30% of Russian maritime trade passes through its ports. Sweden and Estonia have reported tanker detentions in this region. However, the preparation of pirate operations is also underway in Denmark, the Russian Embassy in Copenhagen told Izvestia.
— Denmark has responded with approval to the forcible detentions by NATO countries, including in the Baltic, of ships with Russian cargo and does not exclude the possibility of such actions on its part. It is made clear that preparations are underway for such essentially piratical operations," the diplomatic mission said.
The editorial board sent requests to the Danish Ministry of Defense and the Danish Maritime Administration with a request to comment on information about such plans.
Russian diplomats noted that the potential for conflict in the Baltic Sea is growing. The efforts of NATO countries to create obstacles to freedom of navigation and restrict the maritime transportation of Russian goods, primarily oil and petroleum products, further aggravate the situation.
"In general, the situation in the Baltic today is such that any provocation can turn into a big disaster with unpredictable consequences," the Russian Embassy in Denmark said.
Last year, Izvestia wrote that military operations against ships were being trained in Copenhagen, from boarding security teams to detention. At the same time, the Danish authorities tightened control over merchant vessels anchored at Cape Skagen under the pretext of protecting the environment. In July, Copenhagen began demanding insurance documents from tankers that pass through its territorial waters in the Baltic. But a number of deputies of the local parliament are pushing the government to take more radical steps.
Denmark controls the strategically important straits (the Great Belt, the Little Belt and the Oresund) from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea. Theoretically, it is possible to bypass them through the Kiel Canal in Germany, but it is much smaller and not as wide. In addition, Berlin's sovereignty extends to this sea route. Therefore, it is Copenhagen that controls access to the Baltic Sea. The Royal Danish Navy has modern ships, including missile frigates, and the Air Force has patrol and observation aircraft and helicopters, Yuri Zverev, director of the BFU Center for Foreign Regional and Regional Studies, explained to Izvestia. That is, this state has the technical capabilities to intercept ships, and they are in no way worse than Sweden and even more so Estonia.
According to Pavel Anisimov, Deputy Director of the Institute of International Relations and Political Sciences at the Russian State University of Economics, Denmark may resort to selective detentions of ships related to the transportation of Russian goods. The availability of the necessary warships does not mean that it is possible to put the entire tanker stream under constant military control without serious risks. Checking documents or disembarking inspectors on a cooperating vessel is one task, but it is a completely different matter to forcibly stop a tanker, especially when a Russian military escort appears, the expert stressed.
What could be Russia's reaction to the detention of ships
The Russian Embassy has repeatedly pointed out the illegal nature of measures to restrict freedom of navigation, the diplomatic mission noted.
"Such actions will invariably be met with a decisive rebuff from our side,— Russian diplomats in Copenhagen stressed.
Pavel Anisimov believes that a combined response is most likely: diplomatic and legal pressure, a change in the organization of transportation and a more visible military escort.
Attempts to detain or block Russian cargo for a long time by Copenhagen may lead to a harsh reaction from Moscow, including the interception of ships belonging to Danish shipowners, and not only in the Baltic or Atlantic, Yuri Zverev believes. He pointed out that Denmark has a large commercial fleet: in terms of the tonnage of ships registered under its own flag, the country ranks 12th in the world and fourth in Europe. In August, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that Moscow would respond in kind to attempts to seize merchant ships.
Another measure being implemented is the escort of tankers by warships of the Russian Navy. This will make their forceful interception by the Danish fleet impossible without engaging in direct combat, Zverev stressed. At the same time, the rest of the NATO countries, if Denmark itself initiates a military clash, can in good conscience abandon the use of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which prescribes the principle of collective self-defense.
Earlier, Nikolai Patrushev, assistant to the president and chairman of the Maritime Board, said that escorting Russian merchant vessels by warships effectively helps protect them.
Moreover, Russian warships have the legal right to pass through the same Danish Straits. It is an international waterway connecting the Baltic Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, and its legal status guarantees freedom of navigation. Denmark's internal regulations establish only the organizational rules of passage. In particular, prior diplomatic notification is required if more than three warships of the same State are planning to pass through the Straits at the same time.
The Baltic Sea incident
A dangerous incident has already occurred in the Baltic Sea in September. The corvette "Savvy" fired two flares as a Danish Air Force helicopter approached it in neutral waters, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The ministry noted that the aircraft was heading for a rendezvous with a Russian warship and did not respond to calls via an international channel.
The press service of the Danish Air Force said that the helicopter was photographing a Russian frigate, and the kingdom's Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador, calling the firing of flares at the helicopter unacceptable. On September 30, Danish Ambassador Rolf Holmboe was summoned to Smolenskaya Square and handed him a protest note. Moscow has repeatedly offered Copenhagen to sign the agreement in order to avoid dangerous incidents, the embassy in Denmark said earlier. However, Russia's de-escalation initiative was not well understood.
Not only the Russian, but also the international reaction can force Denmark to abandon possible detentions of courts. As noted above, the Danish Straits have the status of international straits. According to the Copenhagen Treaty of 1857 and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Denmark is obliged to ensure freedom of navigation. Any attempt at a blockade would be a gross violation of international law and would face condemnation from China and other countries in the Global South.
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