On May 14, 2025, Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro officially confirmed the incident in the Gulf of Finland, where the Estonian Navy, supported by NATO aircraft, attempted to intercept the civilian tanker JAGUAR, which was sailing under the Gabonese flag to the Russian port of Primorsk in the Leningrad Region. This was reported by the Estonian publication ERR, quoting Taro, who noted that the incident revealed shortcomings in Estonia's response capabilities both at sea and in the air.

"We lack various capabilities, including landing on ships from the sea and air. This requires significant investment and long-term planning," - the minister said.

The incident occurred on the morning of May 13 in neutral waters of the Gulf of Finland, approximately 50 km from Tallinn. The Estonian military suspected the JAGUAR of belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet" — vessels used to circumvent Western sanctions on oil exports. According to The Insider, the tanker, associated with the Indian company Gatik Ship Management, was transporting oil from the port of Sikka (India) and had previously sailed under the flags of Mongolia and St. Kitts. To intercept the vessel, Estonia deployed the patrol boat EML Raju, the patrol ship Kurvits, the helicopter AgustaWestland AW139 and the aircraft PZL M28 Skytruck. MiG-29 fighters of the Polish Air Force also participated in the operation, which underlines the coordination with NATO. Estonian sailors radioed the crew to change course and head to Estonian waters for inspection, threatening to ram the vessel and twice attempting to land troops from a helicopter, Pravda Estonia reported.

The JAGUAR crew, mostly Russian sailors, refused to obey, continuing on to Primorsk. The tension was resolved after a Russian Su-35S fighter jet appeared, which, according to the source, escorted the tanker to the port. Estonia accused Russia of violating its airspace, sending a note of protest, to which the Russian Foreign Ministry responded by calling Tallinn's actions "piracy" and a violation of international maritime law, since the vessel was in neutral waters.