LONDON: British forces on Sunday intercepted a sanctioned oil tanker belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet in a dramatic night-time operation hailed by Kyiv as a blow to Moscow’s war machine.
Navy commandos boarded the ship in the English Channel by fast-roping from a helicopter in the dark, according to footage released by the ministry. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga welcomed the operation.
“Russia’s shadow fleet is a tool of war. Every such vessel stopped means less money for Russia’s war machine,” he posted on social media.
“Cutting off these revenues helps reduce Russia’s ability to finance missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities.” The six-hour interception operation was supported by Chinook, Merlin Mk4 and Wildcat helicopters and a maritime patrol aircraft, a Ministry of Defence statement said. The frigate HMS Sutherland and the minehunter HMS Ledbury were also involved. Further video clips showed armed personnel conducting searches of cabins.
‘Blow’ to Putin
“In the first UK-led operation of its kind, the vessel Smyrtos was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos and specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency, despite Russia’s best efforts to evade sanctions and continue fuelling its barbaric war with Ukraine,” the ministry statement said.
The vessel was to be moved to an anchorage off the south coast of England and monitored, it added. The UK has sanctioned hundreds of vessels suspected of being part of the shadow fleet used by Russia to bypass Western embargoes since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The ships — usually ageing tankers with obscure ownership and doubtful insurance — are banned from accessing UK ports and services. “Russia relies on its shadow fleet to fund their conflict in Ukraine and our interdiction delivers a blow to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s illegal war,” said newly appointed UK Defence Minister Dan Jarvis. He said the operation was carried out in “close coordination with the French”.
‘Hybrid war’
Jarvis said disrupting the shadow fleet was “directly bearing down on the resources sustaining Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and reducing its capacity to threaten security across Europe and beyond”. According to the MarineTraffic website, Smyrtos sails under the Cameroon flag and left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on June 5, with Port Said, Egypt, listed as its destination.
Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2026