{"id":3350,"date":"2025-04-09T17:42:26","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T14:42:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/factcheck.lt\/?p=3350"},"modified":"2025-04-20T19:13:49","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T16:13:49","slug":"","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/factcheck.lt\/eng\/news\/ee_ships\/","title":{"rendered":"Maritime disinformation: is it true that Estonia allows shooting at merchant ships?","raw":"Maritime disinformation: is it true that Estonia allows shooting at merchant ships?"},"content":{"rendered":"

On April 8, 2025, a video titled: “Estonia prepares to sink civilian ships!” was posted on the CTVBY YouTube channel. This video has already gathered more than 400 thousand views.
\nWith the following content:<\/p>\n

The Estonian authorities have decided to take an unprecedented step. In the near future, the country’s parliament will consider a bill allowing the naval forces to sink suspicious merchant vessels. This was reported by local media. It is proposed to destroy civilian ships if, quote, “it is impossible to repel the threat by other means.” However, as noted, the crew will be evacuated before sinking. At the same time, Estonian sailors will have the right to open fire not only in territorial waters. As the Estonian Navy command has already stated, military ships will be allowed to attack vessels that, in their opinion, pose a danger to the Baltic Sea infrastructure, even if they are in international waters. The Estonian authorities justify such harsh and extraordinary measures by allegedly strengthening their security.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Our verdict based on the conducted analyses:<\/p>\n

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Verdict: Incorrect<\/h2>\n

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\nReasons:<\/p>\n