Swedish Special Forces Board Russia-Linked Ship Near Gotland

Swedish special forces boarded a Russia-linked dry cargo vessel near the northwestern coast of Gotland Island in the Baltic Sea on the night of 30-31 Oct 2026, Sweden's TV4 television channel reported. The Stockholm Regional Police Department confirmed that special forces boarded the ship to check the crew and travel documents, but did not disclose further details. After the inspection, the vessel left its anchorage and headed south along the Gotland coastline. The vessel belongs to a company, not named by TV4, that Swedish authorities have previously suspected of involvement in Russian intelligence and hybrid operations. The company maintains offices in Kaliningrad, where it recruits crew members. Other vessels linked to the same company have been inspected in the past in connection with unidentified drone sightings in several European countries, with some of the ships present in affected areas at the time the drones were recorded. The incident follows a series of detentions of vessels suspected of ties to Russia's so-called shadow fleet. Russian Ambassador to Sweden Sergey Belyayev said in mid-August that Swedish authorities had detained five vessels since the end of 2025, including ones carrying Russian citizens; two were released after inspection, while the Sea Owl I and Jin Hui tankers remain at anchor. In March 2026, Sweden also detained the Caffa dry cargo vessel, which was carrying grain from occupied Ukrainian territories; the country's Supreme Court later ruled the vessel must be handed over to Kyiv.