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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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European forces boarded a suspected Russian "shadow fleet" oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, the European Union's top diplomat said on Sunday.
Naval forces confirmed the ship, identified as the MV MIDAG, was sailing under a false flag, Kaja Kallas said in a statement on Sunday.
Ship tracking data describes the MV MIDAG as a crude oil tanker sailing under the flag of Zimbabwe. Publicly available information showed its location as northeast of the Algeria capital, Algiers, as of 7:30 a.m. ET Sunday.
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Russia uses its "shadow fleet" of aging tankers and supporting vessels to avoid sanctions slapped on the Kremlin following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Western officials say.
Russia is a major oil exporter and relies on this revenue to keep its economy going—especially because it dedicates so much of government spending to the military.
The U.K. said in July a "shadow fleet" of more than 700 vessels carries three quarters of Russian sanctioned oil, providing a "critical lifeline" for Moscow amid the ballooning costs of the grinding war against its neighbor.
Kallas said foreign ministers from EU member states would vote to approve new sanctions against Russia on Monday, including against companies propping up the "shadow fleet."
"The EU will keep disrupting Russia’s shadow fleet at sea and through diplomatic means," she added.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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