Britain Intercepts Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker
By EurActiv
By Alice Tidey
(EurActiv) — British forces on Sunday boarded a sanctioned Russian “shadow fleet” oil tanker in the English Channel in what officials described as the first UK-led operation of its kind aimed at disrupting Moscow’s ability to finance the war in Ukraine.
Royal Marine Commandos and specially trained officers from the National Crime Agency intercepted the vessel, SMYRTOS, during a six-hour operation in the early hours of the morning. The mission involved support from Maritime Air Group helicopters, an RAF P-8 surveillance aircraft, and Royal Navy ships HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer in March authorised British armed forces and law enforcement officers to board shadow fleet vessels, a network of ageing tankers used to transport oil outside Western restrictions, in accordance with international law. The tanker will now be moved to an anchorage off England’s south coast, where it will remain under observation while investigations continue.
Starmer said the operation “delivers yet another blow to Russia” and warned those supporting President Vladimir Putin’s war effort in Ukraine that “they cannot hide.”
Russia’s shadow fleet is responsible for carrying 75% of the country’s sanctioned oil, providing a critical lifeline for the Kremlin to sustain its illegal war in Ukraine. According to the British government, Russian oil revenues have fallen by 27% since October 2024 to their lowest level since the invasion of Ukraine began.
British officials said the operation was coordinated closely with France and forms part of wider efforts to curb Russian oil revenues and weaken the Kremlin’s war machine.
