Published 19.39
Jonas Sjöstedt (V) sat in an inflatable boat and demonstrated against the Russian shadow fleet.
Then a Russian warship approached at high speed.
– I’m a little shaken, he says.
On Tuesday, Green Peace carried out a demonstration in the Baltic Sea against the oil vessel “Kira K”, which is suspected of being part of the Russian shadow fleet.
Also in the rubber boat were the Left Party’s EU parliamentarians Jonas Sjöstedt.
– It was a classic peaceful demonstration. We held up banners to draw attention to the fact that the activities of the shadow fleet only continue and that EU countries must cooperate more to actually stop them, he says.
The ship was discovered off Germany, on one of the shadow fleet’s new routes chosen to avoid boarding by the Swedish Coast Guard.
It didn’t take long before a Russian warship escorting the oil tanker approached at high speed, says Sjöstedt.
– A ship came at a very high speed, at first we didn’t understand what it was. The German Coast Guard called them to hear what they were going to do, but they said nothing and just approached.
“This was a surprise”
The German Coast Guard then asked the rubber boat with politicians and activists to leave the area to avoid confrontation.
– This was a surprise. We know that they can be armed guards on board the oil vessels sometimes, but that they also deploy the military is something new in the Baltic Sea.
Sjöstedt says that it is important that the Russian shadow fleet is stopped from sailing through the Baltic Sea.
– They break all existing rules and do not comply with environmental requirements. It is only a matter of time before some boat releases oil so there are good reasons to deny them access to the Baltic Sea. Then Russia’s daily bombings are financed by the money from these giant boats. More must be done to stop them.
