“FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS”
Estonia said NATO military aircraft had also taken off to inspect the Gabon-listed Jaguar.
Estonian Naval Commander Ivo Vark told Reuters the Jaguar was near Naissaar Island off the Estonian capital Tallinn when it was contacted by radio on Tuesday afternoon to check its status because it was sailing “without a nationality.”
When it declined and continued towards Russian waters, the navy opted to escort it there with a patrol ship.
On Thursday, the Jaguar was anchored near the Russian port of Primorsk, Marine Traffic data showed.
Footage on X shared by Simonyan and purporting to be filmed from the bridge of the tanker shows an Estonian navy patrol ship, helicopter and aircraft nearby. An identification number seen in the video matches the Jaguar.
“This is Estonian warship … follow my instructions, alter your course to 105 immediately,” a voice in English sounds over a radio.
“We are met by helicopters, they demand we go on anchor,” says another voice in Russian off-camera. Someone else, in Hindi, adds: “The plane is on top of us. It’s either an aircraft or a drone. The military ship is turning towards the stern of the vessel.”
A military jet, which Estonia does not operate, is also glimpsed nearby.
The Jaguar, previously named the Argent, had earlier this year loaded oil at the Russian port of Ust-Luga, sailed to India and returned to Primorsk, LSEG tracking data showed.
Its owner, listed on ship databases as Mauritius-based Sapang Shipping, could not be located for comment.
Authorities in Gabon did not immediately comment on Estonia’s assertion that the ship is on their registry.
Kremlin aide Nikolai Patrushev told the Kommersant newspaper last month that Russia’s navy was ready to protect ships.
“Hotheads in London or Brussels need to understand this clearly,” he said, adding that Western efforts to block Russian ships were beginning to resemble a “naval blockade”.
