Image Credits: Kaja Kallas/X The European Union has expanded its sanctions enforcement against Russia by allowing its naval mission in the Indian Ocean to board ships suspected of being part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on July 22 that member states had authorised Operation EUNAVFOR ATALANTA, the EU’s anti-piracy mission operating off Somalia and in the western Indian Ocean, to carry out flag verification boardings of suspected shadow fleet vessels. The inspections will be conducted in the same way as those carried out by Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI in the Mediterranean. The decision follows the July 20 boarding of the Cameroon-flagged oil tanker MV SOUTH STAR in international waters in the Mediterranean. The vessel was boarded by Operation IRINI for flag verification after it was suspected of sailing under a false flag in breach of international maritime law. “We’re turning up the pressure on Russia’s shadow fleet,” Kallas said in a post on X. She said the MV SOUTH STAR had been boarded for flag verification and added that “every illicit voyage helps sustain Russia’s war machine.” She said the EU was “matching our sanctions with action at sea.” Kallas also said the decision to give Operation ATALANTA similar powers “further tightens the net.” Image Credits: Kaja Kallas/X Operation IRINI confirmed that its personnel boarded the tanker in international waters. Photos released by the EU showed military helicopters and speedboats surrounding the vessel during the operation. According to marine traffic monitoring data, the MV SOUTH STAR was in the western Mediterranean as of July 22. The tanker left the Tunisian port of Rades on July 10 and was due to return there on July 22. It was not immediately clear whether the inspection was still underway 48 hours after the boarding. Kallas said the latest operation marked the fourth successful boarding o