British military intercepted a Russian shadow fleet tanker attempting to pass through the English Channel.
This was reported by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer.
According to him, he gave the relevant instructions to the Armed Forces on the morning of June 14. Starmer noted that the operation was "another blow to Russia" and a signal to those who help finance Putinʼs war against Ukraine.
"We will not allow them to hide," the British Prime Minister emphasized.
He also thanked the UK military and law enforcement, who "protect the country 24 hours a day, 365 days a year".
The British Ministry of Defense clarified that the oil tanker Smyrtos was boarded by Royal Marines and specially trained officers from the National Crime Agency.
The operation lasted six hours and involved Chinook, Merlin Mk4 and Wildcat helicopters, a Royal Air Force P-8 aircraft, and the ships HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury.
After the operation was completed, the Smyrtos was anchored off the south coast of England, where it will be monitored to prevent any potential environmental or safety risks.
According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Smyrtos has been exporting Russian oil since March 2025, mainly from the port of Kozmino.
Since February 2025, the vessel has been registered in the Seychelles and sails under the flag of Cameroon. The tanker was subject to EU sanctions on July 20, 2025, and in August of the same year, it was subject to Swiss sanctions.
British troops have repeatedly participated in French operations to seize sanctioned tankers of the Russian shadow fleet. The last time this happened was on May 31 in the Atlantic Ocean, when they detained the tanker Tagor, which transports petroleum products from the Russian ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga in the Baltic Sea to third countries.
At the end of March, the British Armed Forces were allowed to detain vessels that were subject to British sanctions and were transiting through British waters, but to date, Britain has not detained a single such tanker.
What is known about the Russian shadow fleet?
In early December 2022, the G7 members, as well as Australia and the EU, imposed price caps on Russian oil, setting a maximum price of $60 per barrel. From February 5, 2023, these countries imposed price caps on Russian petroleum products: $100 for diesel and $45 for various lubricants.
To circumvent oil sanctions, Russia has begun building a shadow fleet. This is a fleet of old tankers that turn off their beacons so that they cannot be seen by surveillance systems. These tankers are mostly operated by the Russian state-owned company “Suchkomflot”.
According to The Guardian’s September 2023 estimates, Russia’s shadow fleet consists of approximately 600 vessels, providing 70% of Russia’s oil exports and an estimated 10% of the world’s “wet cargo” fleet. It transports almost 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, generating large profits for the Kremlin.
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