LONDON — British forces intercepted a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker on Sunday morning, its Ministry of Defence said, in the latest effort to disrupt Moscow’s sanctions-evasion network.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Russia’s “shadow fleet” of more than 700 vessels is estimated to transport around 75% of the country’s sanctioned oil exports, providing a critical financial lifeline for the Kremlin and helping fund the missiles and drones used in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.“This operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin’s war in Ukraine that they cannot hide,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.Starmer shared a video on X showing troops descending onto the vessel from helicopters, conducting a search with guns drawn.Royal Marine Commandos and officers from Britain’s National Crime Agency boarded the vessel, the Smyrtos, in the English Channel, the body of water separating Britain and France, the ministry said.It added that the tanker will be held and monitored off the south coast of England while investigations continue.The operation lasted six hours and was conducted in close coordination with French authorities, the ministry said.“Russia relies on its shadow fleet to fund its conflict in Ukraine, and our interdiction delivers a blow to Putin’s illegal war,” Britain’s Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said.Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was “grateful to the UK for taking this important step against Russia’s oil fleet,” adding in a post on X: “It was Russia’s hubris, fueled by high oil and gas revenues, that paved the way for this war, and every decision by partners that deprives Russia of money also limits the war itself.”According to vessel-tracking website MarineTraffic, the Smyrtos sails under the flag of Cameroon.
The vessel is currently anchored off the English seaside town of Weym...