British forces intercepted a licensed tanker belonging to Russia's shadow fleet in the English Channel on Sunday, the Ministry of Defense said, in a six-hour operation welcomed by kyiv.
Navy commandos boarded the ship under cover of darkness using fast ropes from a helicopter in the dark, according to images released by the ministry.
The interception in the early hours was supported by Chinook, Merlin Mk4 and Wildcat helicopters and a maritime patrol aircraft, according to a statement.
The frigate HMS Sutherland and the minesweeper HMS Ledbury also participated.
“In the first UK-led operation of its kind, the Smyrtos vessel 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 fueling its barbaric war with Ukraine,” the ministry statement said.
The ship will now be moved to an anchorage off the south coast of England and will be monitored, he added.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga welcomed the operation.
“Russia's shadow fleet is a tool of war. Every such vessel detained means less money for Russia's war machine,” he posted on social media.
“Cutting these revenues helps reduce Russia's ability to finance missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities.”
“Russia relies on its shadow fleet to fund its conflict in Ukraine and our interdiction deals a blow to Putin's illegal war,” said newly appointed UK Defense Minister Dan Jarvis.
He said the operation was carried out in “close coordination with the French.”
'Hybrid war'
The UK has sanctioned hundreds of ships suspected of being part of the shadow fleet used by Russia to circumvent Western embargoes since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The ships, usually old oil tankers with dubious owners, are banned from UK ports and services.
Jarvis said disrupting the shadow fleet was “directly impacting the resources underpinning Russia's aggression in Ukraine and reducing its ability to threaten security across Europe and beyond.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the operation dealt “another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin's war in Ukraine that they cannot hide.”
In March, the government announced that British forces could board and seize shadow fleet ships passing through its waters.
The announcement came after Washington eased restrictions on Russian oil to soften prices soared by the war between the United States and Israel against Iran.
France, Belgium, Finland and other European countries have also recently seized sanctions-violating vessels believed to belong to the so-called shadow fleet.
London has said these ships are suspected of damaging undersea cables in the Baltic Sea on several occasions.
The government has said it will propose new legislation aimed at preventing “Russia and other hostile states” from sabotaging vital undersea Internet cables.
Since 2023 there have been a series of incidents in the Baltic Sea, in which underwater cables and power lines were damaged.
Military experts and European leaders say Russia has escalated its “hybrid war” in the strategic region, now surrounded entirely by NATO members except Russia.
Former defense minister John Healey, who resigned this week accusing Starmer of failing to provide enough funding to defend Britain, said in April that the military had tracked down and deterred three Russian submarines in an alleged month-long “covert operation” in UK waters in the North Atlantic, close to vital undersea cables and pipelines.
The dispute over funding, which also led to the resignation of Healey's deputy, Al Carns, and two aides, comes as Starmer's embattled centre-left government, elected in July 2024 after 14 years of Conservative rule, is under pressure to increase spending and prioritize NATO as the threat from Russia grows.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged NATO allies to spend more and rely less on Washington for security.
