UK Intercepts Russian Shadow Fleet Oil Tanker in the English Channel

British forces intercepted an oil tanker subject to sanctions and linked to Russia's shadow fleet in the English Channel on Sunday, the Ministry of Defence announced, as reported by Agence France-Presse.

The six-hour operation received support from various aircraft, including Chinook helicopters, and naval vessels such as the frigate HMS Sutherland.

The Ministry of Defence stated that, in the UK's first operation of this nature, Royal Marine commandos and specialist officers from the National Crime Agency boarded the ship Smertous despite Russia's attempts to evade sanctions and continue its aggressive war against Ukraine.

According to the statement, the vessel will be taken to a port off England's southern coast and placed under surveillance.

Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said Russia relies on the shadow fleet to finance the conflict in Ukraine, and the interception delivers a significant blow to Putin's illegal war. He emphasized that the operation was conducted in close coordination with French authorities.

Jarvis added that disrupting the shadow fleet directly targets the resources supporting Russian aggression in Ukraine and diminishes Russia’s capacity to threaten security across Europe and beyond.

The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on hundreds of ships suspected to be part of the shadow fleet, which Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the operation as another blow to Russia and a reminder to those fueling Putin’s war in Ukraine that they cannot hide.

In March, the government announced that British forces would have the authority to board and seize shadow fleet vessels passing through its waters.

This announcement followed Washington's easing of restrictions on Russian oil to reduce sharply rising prices caused by the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.

France, Belgium, Finland, and other European countries have recently seized ships believed to violate sanctions and suspected to be part of the shadow fleet.

The government also declared plans to introduce new legislation aimed at preventing Russia and other hostile states from sabotaging critical undersea internet cables.

Since 2023, the Baltic Sea has experienced a series of maritime incidents damaging cables and offshore power lines.

Military experts and European leaders assert that Russia has escalated its hybrid warfare in this strategic region, whose borders are now entirely adjacent to NATO countries except for Russia itself.