&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "UK forces intercept Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in English Channel")
British armed forces on Sunday (Jun 14) intercepted a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. In a six-hour-long operation, Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency officers boarded the vessel, supported by the RAF. In a statement, the defence ministry said that the vessel, Smyrtos, will be moved to an anchorage off the south coast of England and monitored.
“In the first UK-led operation of its kind, the vessel SMYRTOS was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos and specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency, despite Russia’s best efforts to evade sanctions and continue fuelling its barbaric war with Ukraine,” the ministry said in a statement.
The operation involved aircraft, including Chinook helicopters, and navy vessels such as the frigate HMS Sutherland.
“Russia relies on its shadow fleet to fund their conflict in Ukraine and our interdiction delivers a blow to Putin’s illegal war,” Defence Minister Dan Jarvis said. He added that the operation was carried out “close coordination with the French”.
He further said that intercepting the shadow fleet was “directly bearing down on the resources sustaining Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and reducing its capacity to threaten security across Europe and beyond.”
Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on hundreds of vessels believed to be part of Moscow’s “shadow fleet” – a network of ships used to circumvent Western restrictions on Russian oil exports. These vessels, often older oil tankers operating under dubious ownership structures, are barred from accessing British ports and maritime services.
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Following the operation, Starmer said that the UK forces delivered “yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling Putin's war in Ukraine that they cannot hide.”
Earlier this year, in March, the British government expanded enforcement powers, allowing its forces to stop, board and seize shadow fleet vessels transiting through UK waters. The move came after the United States relaxed some restrictions on Russian oil exports in an effort to stabilise global energy markets amid the Middle East conflict.
Several European nations have also intensified action against sanction-evasion networks. In recent months, countries including France, Belgium and Finland have detained or seized vessels suspected of helping Russia bypass international sanctions.
