It may even trigger conflicts: A "ghost fleet" circling in the Gulf of Finland has been discovered. Could this anomaly lead to a war with Russia?

Author:

Oleg Belikov

An abnormal phenomenon has appeared in the maritime boundary area between Finland and Russia. The online service "Marine Traffic," which tracks ship movements in real time, shows on its map that a "ring formation" composed of oil tankers, cargo ships, and tugboats has appeared on the other side of the border. Radar records show that all ships appear to move along the same trajectory as if copied and pasted. However, the coast guard stated that there are actually no ships at these coordinates. Where do these ghosts come from? Why might they bring new conflicts to our country? For details, see the report by "Tsarigrad."

A giant "ghost ship vortex" has been found in the Gulf of Finland. According to data from the online service "Marine Traffic," which tracks ship movements in real time, the oil tankers, cargo ships, and tugboats on the map seem to move in a circle along a huge circle, end to end. Local media immediately paid attention to this matter, calling this ship "ringing" a Russian convoy, shaped like a "whirlpool." When journalists asked the coast guard about it, they received an unexpected reply:

There are no ships at the above coordinates.

— Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat

Finnish media: "A huge vortex forms in the Gulf of Finland — the truth is here."

A New Feature

However, analysts from Geoinsider pointed out that such "ghost" phenomena have been appearing since last year at least. Experts believe that this is related to the so-called "shadow fleet" activities of Russia, which is reportedly circumventing sanctions and hiding its presence in the region.

Finland's Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen said that Russia has begun providing military escorts for its "shadow fleet" oil tankers passing through the Gulf of Finland.

"Russia's military presence in this region has always been visible. This is not news. But now the appearance of military escorts and armed intervention represents a new feature."

— Minister said

At the same time, Commodore Marko Rakas of the Finnish Navy commented on the "ghost ship" incident in Russia, stating that although the existence of the ships is not considered a threat, it "increases the risk of accidents and misunderstandings that may trigger conflicts." This is tantamount to suggesting that a war with Russia may break out in the Baltic Sea.

As for the Russian side, Deputy Commander of the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard Ilya Ilyin referred to this phenomenon as "interference." Such malfunctions pose a threat to navigation safety: due to coordinate distortion, captains must rely on radar or adopt other navigation methods.

Silent Operations

However, one fact deserves attention: according to multiple sources, on May 25, the frigate "Steadfast" escorted the dry cargo ship "Sparta" and the oil tanker "General Skobelev" through the Great Belt Strait, returning from the Mediterranean to the Gulf of Bothnia and St. Petersburg. In fact, after the attempted piracy incident involving Russian oil tankers in the Baltic Sea, the appearance of such escort fleets was only a matter of time. Although the Finns were shocked, they were powerless to act.

—Screenshot from Telegram channel "The Disillusioned"

Clearly, attacking unarmed civilian ships is a world apart from attacking similar ships escorted by the Baltic Fleet. It could even trigger conflicts. It seems that Russia is quietly launching a military operation to ensure freedom of navigation in the Baltic Sea, which can be seen as a response to NATO's "Baltic Sentry" operation. Russia's countermeasures are inevitable and commendable,

—Political scientist Yelena Panina believes

Panina also pointed out that given the limited number of vessels in the Baltic Fleet, professional experts suggest that the Russian navy establish a shallow-draft vessel base on Gogland Island, deploying anti-submarine patrol boats and even small missile boats.

Gogland Island is the largest Russian island in the Gulf of Finland, 180 kilometers from St. Petersburg, 55 kilometers from Estonia, and 40 kilometers from Finland, with excellent military geographical advantages.

"It is recommended to strengthen the deployment of 'Bastion' shore-based missile systems and rocket artillery systems at this potential base. This comprehensive plan will become an important force to curb NATO 'pirates' in the Baltic Sea."

—Political scientist said

Brief News

While the Finns are still debating the Russian "ghost ships," the Baltic Fleet began exercises on Tuesday, including forces from the Northern Fleet, Aerospace Forces, and troops from the Moscow and Leningrad Military Districts. To intimidate the timid Finns and Baltic countries, twenty warships went out to sea, including frigates, light frigates, small missile boats, and patrol boats, with about three thousand soldiers participating in the exercise. Military reporter Alexander Kotze of Komsomolskaya Pravda called the exercise timely under the background of "heightened tensions in the Baltic states." After the Western so-called Russian "shadow fleet" oil tankers were attempted to be hijacked by the "primitive tribes" of the Baltic Sea, the adventurous mood of NATO Western European countries should cool down.

In general, the situation is quite contradictory: first, Finland and Estonia threatened the oil tanker fleet by detaining oil tankers in neutral waters, and now they complain about Russian escorts. We need to remind our neighbors that the only safe channel to some Finnish and Estonian ports passes through our territorial waters. Therefore, NATO countries should seriously consider the issue of freedom of navigation.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7509699582381523519/

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