politics
Russia for the first time mounted heavy machine guns on a "shadow fleet" vessel
Russia has for the first time mounted heavy machine guns on a civilian vessel that has fallen under British sanctions as part of a package against Russia's "shadow fleet". As reported by the Dossier Center in a joint investigation with European publications, two machine guns appeared on the floating regasification unit "Marshal Vasilevsky" (IMO: 9778313), which can transport liquefied natural gas and supply it to the Kaliningrad region.
TL;DR
- Russia has installed heavy machine guns on the "Marshal Vasilevsky" floating regasification unit, a vessel sanctioned by the UK.
- Two 12.7mm "Kord" machine guns were photographed on the vessel in the Baltic Sea.
- The vessel, owned by Gazprom Flot, is crucial for supplying Kaliningrad with LNG.
- Since August 2025, the ship has carried 8-12 passengers per trip, with about half linked to Russian security agencies.
- Experts doubt the machine guns' effectiveness against drones but suggest they might deter boarding attempts.