Swedish Police Board Russia-Linked Cargo Ship Off Gotland In Overnight Baltic Sea Operation
Swedish special forces conducted an operation on a dry cargo ship linked to Russia near the northwestern coast of Gotland.
TV4 report says that the police force boarded the ship the night of Oct. 30–31. Carina Skagerlind, a spokesperson for the Stockholm Police, confirmed that officers boarded the vessel and checked the crew’s documents. Skagerlind did not identify the sailors’ nationalities and did not disclose any additional information about the operation.
TV4 reported the crew were Russian nationals, though police did not affirm their citizenship. After the inspection, the ship continued south along Gotland’s coast. Reports do not mention arrests or charges, as of November 2.
TV4 did not identify the dry cargo vessel, but it is known to measure more than 80 meters in length. The vessel’s operator has a presence in Kaliningrad, Russia’s Baltic exclave, where it recruits crew members. The vessel belongs to a company that Swedish authorities have suspected in the past of links to Russian intelligence and hybrid operations.
Russia-linked vessels have drawn suspicion elsewhere in Europe over drone sightings. Journalists investigated whether the two ships were tied to the drones operated by Russian intelligence services. The reports on the Gotland boarding do not connect the vessel to that case.
According to the APA, the Russian Ambassador said Swedish authorities have detained five vessels, including the ones carrying Russian citizens, since the end of 2025. Two tankers, Sea Owl I and Jin Hui, remain moored in Sweden, which have been linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet”.
In March 2026, the Swedish national task force detained another dry cargo vessel called the Caffa over suspicions of sailing under a false flag in Swedish territorial waters. It was allegedly transporting grain from Ukraine’s occupied territories. Later this year, on August 5, the Swedish Supreme Court upheld the ruling allowing the vessel to be handed over to Kyiv.
According to reports from Politico on October 11, following a related incident, European authorities plan to prepare for strict restrictions on entry for Russian nationals following the threat of hybrid attacks. In June, ministers from EU countries spoke on the requirement for a restrictive visa policy for Russians to promote security.
APA, Politico
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