British troops intercepted a Russian shadow fleet ship on Sunday as it sailed through the English Channel, in the first U.K.-led operation of its kind, defense officials said.
Royal Marine commandos and police from the National Crime Agency boarded the Cameroon-registered tanker Smyrtos in a helicopter assault while it attempted to avoid sanctions on vessels carrying Russian oil, British defense ministry officials said.
According to vessel tracking services, the crude oil tanker’s voyage began at a Russian port near Estonia, with Port Said in Egypt listed as the final destination. The 6-hour mission against the Smyrtos took place in international waters and was carried out “in accordance with domestic and international law,” British officials said.
“This operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war in Ukraine that they cannot hide,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.
In early 2026, Mr. Starmer vowed that his government would pursue and detain the aging shadow fleet oil tankers that Russia was using to evade sanctions. Controversy erupted in April when a sanctioned tanker sailed through the English Channel under the direct armed escort of a Russian missile frigate. According ot media reports, a Royal Navy warship followed them but did not intervene.
Russia’s shadow fleet consists of more than 700 vessels that transport about 75% of the country’s sanctioned oil. U.K. officials said the work finances the missiles and drones targeting innocent Ukrainian civilians while sustaining Russia’s illegal war.
Although Sunday’s mission was the first seizure of a Russian shadow fleet vessel by British troops, officials in London said more than 500 vessels have been sanctioned. Moscow’s oil and gas revenues fell by 24% in 2025.
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