German police are carrying out an operation in the Baltic Sea linked to Russian ships, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry confirmed on Friday, reported dpa. For tactical reasons, the spokesman said he could not comment further on the ongoing operations. He was responding to a question about whether federal police had prevented Russian ships from passing by several times in recent days. The spokesman said police "have been tasked with and are carrying out the task of monitoring shipping traffic in the North Sea and Baltic Sea," referring to Germany's coastal waters and exclusive economic zone. The units are "taking the necessary measures to avert any potential dangers," he added. Several reports in German media in recent days have referred to operations against tankers believed to belong to the Russian shadow fleet and sailing under false flags or with falsified identification numbers.