From Dr. Brake's point of view, Russia's shadow fleet continues to pose a security and economic threat to Germany and its NATO partners. Past acts of sabotage by the shadow fleet have exposed the German navy's vulnerability to Russia's “great power politics,” which are not merely “simple criminality”. In view of the ongoing trial against the crew of the “Eagle 2,” Dr. Brake believes it is important to prove their guilt and identify a possible “[...] chain of further actors” in order to assess the overall threat situation in the Baltic Sea. At the end of the discussion, the security expert referred to European strategies for protecting critical maritime infrastructure.
Dr. Moritz Brake at WDR 5 on Russia's shadow fleet: "Great Power politics" Dr. Moritz Brake at WDR 5 on Russia's shadow fleet: "Great Power politics"
Dr. Moritz Brake, Senior Fellow at CASSIS and expert on maritime security, explained the background to the activities of the Russian shadow fleet in the Baltic Sea in an interview given to WDR 5 on August 25th. The interview focused on the start of a trial in Finland against the crew members of the oil tanker “Eagle S.”. Its crew is accused of having severely damaged four telecommunications cables and the “Estlink 2” power cable in the Baltic Sea.
The oil tanker "Eagle 2" off Finnland's coast in December 2024.
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Dr. Moritz Brake, Expert for Maritime Security, is Senior Fellow at the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS)