Guards on Russian tankers in Channel fought for Wagner in Ukraine

If there are Russian security-related personnel on board these vessels, they may help incentivise non-co-operation with coastal states or assist in producing fraudulent documentation,” said Gonzalo Saiz Erausquin, an analyst at the Royal United Services Institute. “That may also partly explain why these personnel appear to serve security functions while remaining formally unarmed. Arming them openly could amount to militarising the vessel. Instead, it creates a kind of ambiguity — presenting the ship as civilian while potentially embedding state-linked personnel onboard.”