British News Agency

Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Prevot announced that a vessel from Russia’s shadow fleet was stopped in the North Sea.

Emphasizing that these ghost ships systematically circumvent European sanctions, Prevot said, “Every barrel finances Russia’s war machine. Every sanction that is breached prolongs the suffering of the Ukrainian people. This is unacceptable. Russia must end this war.”

Prevot noted that the operation was carried out together with the G7, as well as Scandinavian and Baltic countries, adding that the special forces fulfilled the mission with extraordinary professionalism and courage.

Prevot stated that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the International Maritime Organization support taking action against vessels operating under a false flag or without a flag, saying, “International law is on our side and we will use it to the fullest. As long as Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, we will continue to act. Sanctions are meaningful only if they are enforced. Today, we enforced them.”