Two Russian naval ships are operating 30 miles off the British coast, escorting sanctioned tankers through the Channel and risking both environmental disaster and armed conflict with Moscow.
A Kremlin supply ship is helping keep a Russian warship, armed with cruise and surface-to-air missiles, at sea – allowing it to escort dozens of sanctioned tankers accused of facilitating Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
The vessels have worked in tandem and have been regular visitors to British shores, finding refuge near critical UK infrastructure under the full view of the British Royal Navy.
A hulking 122-metre floating workshop that serves Putin’s Baltic fleet, has been supplying a Russian frigate, the RFN Admiral Grigorovich, with supplies and fuel while it loiters around the Galloper wind farm, located off the Suffolk coastline, which powers 400,000 UK homes.
The manoeuvres, which sometimes enter UK waters, have allowed the Admiral Grigorovich, an armed warship, to accompany over a dozen so-called shadow fleet tankers through the English Channel, according to data provided by Starboard Maritime Intelligence.
The movements mark a major development, bringing Russia’s shadow fleet operations further into the open and highlighting Putin’s brazen attempt to call Starmer’s bluff – with the risk of armed conflict in full view. The refuelling manoeuvers also increase the risk of a catastrophic oil spill should anything go wrong.
Elizabeth Braw, a naval expert at the Atlantic Council, said the “risky” movements show Russia is probing Downing Street’s resolve, creating a “double headache” for the UK.
“Ship to ship transfers are risky and you have to be incredibly careful as accidents can happen,” she told The i Paper. “They may well need to transfer oil, but its clearly also a signal to the UK authorities they can do it, even with inherent risk of oil spills and there’s not much the UK can do about it.”
By conducting these operations so close to the UK, Braw said, the Russian state is “deliberately telling Europe” that detaining a vessel is not just a law enforcement or environmental issue. In her view, an armed warship escorting these vessels means any such action “may also lead to an armed conflict”.
A regular appearance
Last week, both ships were revealed by this paper to have loitered off the British coast before the Admiral Grigorovich sailed through the Channel. A photograph posted online by a known boat spotting account showed the Kremlin’s Amur-class repair ship PM-82 loitering near to the Galloper windfarm, while the Russian warship sailed nearby.
The vessel’s presence so close to critical UK infrastructure sparked a Nato monitoring mission. Dutch Royal Navy vessel the DSS Galatea shadowed the ship’s voyage through the North Sea before circling its location as part of European allies’ efforts to track Putin’s fleet through British and European waters, The i Paper understands.
Commander Arlo Abrahamson, spokesperson for Nato’s Allied Maritime Command said there was “no area around the Euro-Atlantic region where the Russian navy operates that Allies are not closely monitoring their activities.”
He added: “We see a trend of Russian navy ships escorting merchant vessels through the Baltic Sea and other areas around the Euro-Atlantic region, including the North and Mediterranean Seas.
“These escorting activities take up valuable days at sea for the Russian navy and it places strain on their ability to generate naval forces for other missions.”
It is the second month in a row that the ships have been observed at the same location before escorting vessels through the Channel. On April 7, the Admiral Grigorovich escorted a sanctioned Russian tanker, Universal, as it transported suspected military supplies for Russian assets overseas.
UK watching, but not acting
The manoeuvers represent an uptick in Putin’s response to forced boardings and strong rhetoric from European leaders who have vowed to crack down on the Kremlin’s shadow fleet.
In January, the Prime Minister said he was going after Putin’s shadow fleet “even harder”, and that Vladimir Putin “should be in no doubt” that the UK will fight against Moscow’s illicit network of tankers.
But, while the UK has not performed any seizures of suspect ships, British Royal Navy vessels and helicopters have continuously monitored the Kremlin’s vessels as they sail around the UK.
Throughout April, three RN patrol ships and Wildcat helicopters tracked the Admiral Grigorovich. The vessel was shadowed as it sailed from the Atlantic to the North Sea, before passing through the English Channel unchallenged, along with seven sanctioned vessels suspected of fuelling Russia’s war with Ukraine. This is despite the UK threatening to target ships within Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.
Last month, the head of the Royal Navy, First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, warned that Britain and its allies needed the “collective combat power necessary” to deter Moscow at sea or risk a direct military confrontation.
In January, the UK strengthened its legal position to detain sanctioned Russian ships near its waters and on 25 March, Starmer authorised military personnel to carry out forced boardings.
Keir Starmer said he was going after Putin’s shadow fleet “even harder”, and that Moscow “should be in no doubt” the UK will fight against its illicit network of tankers.
Since then, no ships have been seized, while hundreds of sanctioned tankers – an average of at least four a day – have sailed through the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone, according to data provided by Starboard Maritime Intelligence.
Importance of the shadow fleet
At least 14 sanctioned Russian tankers have sailed through the Channel while accompanied by the Russian naval vessels in the past two months. All ships are suspected of fuelling Russia’s war in Ukraine while some are thought to be carrying essential supplies for Putin’s military overseas.
The Universal, which was escorted past British shores last month is believed to have been carrying oil, supplies and spare parts for Moscow’s armed forces.
The blacklisted tanker passed through the Channel in early April before sailing into the Atlantic, reportedly heading towards Cuba. However, on 21 April her voyage halted and the vessel has been drifting in the middle of the Atlantic ever since, periodically motoring to stay in position.
Minister for the Armed Forces, Al Carns MP, said: “As Russian warships continue to operate near our shores, our Armed Forces are there every day: watching, tracking and ready.
“This round-the-clock operation sends a clear message: UK waters are protected, our sailors and aircrew are alert, and we will always defend our nation and its vital infrastructure.”
As Britain’s allies perform forced boarding’s against Russia’s illicit fleet, the UK continues to watch. Hampered by its own understanding of the legal frameworks around launching such seizures, Downing Street’s once strong rhetoric is beginning to wear thin, and Putin is taking advantage.
As the Admiral Grigorovich sailed out of UK waters over the weekend, UK forces will be braced for its next visit, and the Kremlin’s important cargo it escorts.Emma Salisbury, a maritime security analyst, said the ship movements “underscore the continuing need to monitor Russian naval presence around British waters.”
She told The i Paper: “The government should make sure that our military are fully supported to perform their invaluable monitoring role, and take the lesson that the threat from Russia is not going to go away – increased defence investment is imperative.”
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