BARDUFOSS, NORWAY- MARCH 17: UK Royal Marines attend the winter warfare training ahead of the Cold Response 2022, near Bardufoss, Norway on March 17, 2022. UK Royal Marines, who form the UKâs Commando Forces, have been firing various weapons systems, as well as conducting long patrols and amphibious landings during preparation to take part in the bi-annual Norwegian-led exercise Cold Response 2022, which is a defensive exercise under a NATO Article 5 scenario. (Photo by NATO / Pool/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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British armed forces intercepted a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the early hours of Sunday, the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence said.
“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,” the MoD said in a statement.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he directed the interception as the tanker attempted to pass through the English Channel.
“This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide,” Starmer said in a post on X.
The vessel will be held off the U.K.’s south coast while investigations continue, the MoD said.
The U.K. has sanctioned more than 500 vessels in its attempt to tackle the shadow fleet, Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said in the MoD’s statement.
European countries have been getting tougher on ships in their waters that attempt to transport Russian oil in violation of international sanctions.
Russia condemned on Wednesday a European Union decision to authorize EU vessels in the Mediterranean to stop and inspect foreign ships suspected of being part of a shadow fleet transporting Russian oil.
The EU said on Monday it had expanded the mandate of Operation IRINI, its naval mission in the Mediterranean that was originally set up to enforce a United Nations arms embargo on Libya.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said this posed a threat to maritime security and accused the EU of intimidating civilian vessels.
She said there was no such thing in international law as a “shadow fleet”, and this term was a “political fabrication” by the EU.
According to U.S.-based think tank the Atlantic Council, the number of vessels in the shadow fleet has grown significantly since Western governments imposed a $60-a-barrel price cap on Russian oil exports in December 2022.
Shipping broker BRS estimated in August 2025 that vessels engaging in illicit trading, some of which may be sanctioned, represent 18.2% of global oil tanker tonnage.
– Reuters contributed to this story.
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