Russia Weaponizes Civilian Tanker in Baltic Sea, Surveillance Images Show

The report describes observations and assessments that the Russian-affiliated ‘shadow fleet’ tanker Marshal Vasilevskiy has been fitted with heavy machine guns, likely both to deter boarding and to send a political message; Estonian and regional officials warn this increases maritime and military risks as the vessel supplies Kaliningrad and could be seen as a legitimate target. Analysts argue the weapons are partly symbolic, may not be effective against drones, but change threat assessments for boarding or approach by NATO vessels and raise safety, security, and environmental concerns about aging flag-of-convenience tankers.