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Sweden Releases Sanctioned Russian Freighter After Inspection

Prosecutors declined to open a sanctions violation case following a customs search of the Adler.

Russian vessel Adler anchors in Swedish waters off Nyhamnslage north of Hoganas on Sunday after it suffered an engine failure on its journey north through Oresund, Sweden, December 21, 2025. Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN.
Swedish Coast Guard vessel KBV001 on site near the Russian vessel Adler anchored in Swedish waters off Nyhamnslage north of Hoganas on Sunday, after the Russian vessel suffered an engine failure on its journey north through the Oresund, Sweden, December 21, 2025. Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN.
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Overview

  • Swedish Customs boarded the Adler with Coast Guard and police support in the early hours of Dec. 21 to conduct a cargo inspection.
  • The freighter left St. Petersburg on Dec. 15, reported engine trouble while transiting the Øresund, and anchored off Höganäs.
  • Customs officials did not disclose the cargo and said they had no information about the vessel’s destination.
  • The ship and its owner, M Leasing LLC, are on EU and U.S. sanctions lists over suspected weapons transport, including North Korean ammunition later used by Russia in Ukraine.
  • After the prosecutor’s decision, the vessel was cleared to proceed and tracking data showed it moving north, following an initial referral to Sweden’s National Unit for International Organized Crime.