British forces have boarded and seized a Russian shadow-fleet oil tanker attempting to transit the English Channel, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Sunday.

“This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide,” Starmer wrote on X.

The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed the early Sunday seizure of the vessel Smyrtos. Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis praised the operation: “Russia relies on its shadow fleet to fund its conflict in Ukraine and our interdiction delivers a blow to Putin’s illegal war.”

The six-hour operation will see the vessel “provisionally moved to an anchorage off the South Coast of England and monitored for any environmental or safety concerns,” the ministry said.

Last month, French navy with UK support intercepted a suspected shadow-fleet tanker falsely sailing under the Cameroonian flag. In January, French forces impounded another suspected Russian tanker, the Grinch, and in March, the Deyna, sailing from Murmansk under a Mozambican flag, was detained in Marseille.

Oil revenue is a key part of Russia’s economy, offsetting the cost of its over-four-year war in Ukraine. Russia is believed to use a fleet of hundreds of ships to evade international sanctions imposed over the conflict.

According to the UK Ministry of Defence, Britain has imposed sanctions on over 500 vessels, with Russia’s oil and gas revenues declining by 24% in 2025 compared to the previous year. Putin has condemned the seizure of Russia-linked vessels as “piracy.”

Source: www.aljazeera.com