Machine Guns Spotted on a Gazprom Tanker in the Baltic Sea. Russian Authorities Are Arming a Civilian Vessel With Heavy Weapons for the First Time

Machine guns were spotted on a Gazprom tanker in the Baltic Sea. Russian authorities are equipping a civilian vessel with heavy weapons for the first time

The photographs were taken in May by Estonia’s border service, which passed them to journalists. The images show two large-caliber 12.7-millimeter Kord machine guns mounted on the wheelhouse, one on each side. Next to them are sandbags, which are needed to protect the firing positions.

“Dossier” notes that this is the only known case in which a Russian civilian vessel has been equipped with weapons.

In addition, FSB, National Guard, and Defense Ministry servicemen are constantly present on board the gas carrier, the outlet found after studying passenger lists from August 2025 onward. There were 50 people on the ship in total, and at least 24 of them had served or are serving in the security forces.

Experts interviewed by the journalists note that machine guns are ineffective for defense against aerial drones. However, given that the gas carrier is based off the coast of Kaliningrad Region, the weapons may be part of Moscow’s strategy to protect the region, “Dossier” writes.

@meduzalive