Uniformed service members and armed men - believed to be private security contractors — have been spotted on tankers carrying oil from Russia, Marko Petkovic, the head of operations for the Swedish Navy, said on the Swedish broadcaster SVT Nyheter . As noted by the Danish outlet Berlingske Media , this is the first time an EU country has officially confirmed the presence of armed guards on vessels in Russia’s “shadow fleet.” According to Petkovic, Russia has generally stepped up its military footprint in the Baltic Sea. “The Russian naval presence has become more constant and visible across much of the Baltic Sea.” The Russian navy periodically operates in various zones in the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland and appears to be supporting this “shadow fleet” in some way, the Swedish Navy representative said. SVT’s sources in the Swedish military confirmed that Russian warships are “fairly constantly present” in several specific areas adjacent to shipping lanes. Danish media have reported on guards aboard the “shadow fleet” Danish outlets had previously written about the emergence of guards on Russian “shadow fleet” ships. On December 6, the investigative outlet DanWatch reported that people in camouflage uniforms were on board one of the “shadow fleet” tankers in the Øresund strait, including one former special forces commander from Kaliningrad. The outlet said this is corroborated by data from a leaked Russian government database that Danwatch obtained through sources in Russia. According to crew documents reviewed by the outlet, these individuals had no official duties on the ship. They were listed as “additional crew” without any explanation.

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