On October 23, 2024, Finnish Border Guard detected Russia-aligned tankers in the Gulf of Finland manipulating AIS data by falsifying positions and IDs, escalating maritime navigational risks.

The Finnish Border Guard reported on October 23, 2024, that several Russia-aligned tankers operating in the Gulf of Finland have started manipulating their AIS data to obscure their true positions and identities, or completely turning off their AIS signals. This practice creates hazardous navigation conditions in a strategically critical and already dangerous maritime area. The false AIS signals include both misreported locations and ship identifications. This development adds to ongoing concerns about covert maritime activities and the shadow fleet seen in the Baltic Sea region. The Finnish authorities are monitoring the situation closely and may extend their observations to Danish waters to detect similar occurrences. This behavior is perceived as part of Russia's increasingly covert maritime operations to evade sanctions and oversight.