Britain to Intercept Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Ships in UK Waters

The UK will interdict and board Russian “shadow fleet” vessels in its waters, increasing European pressure on Moscow over tankers exporting sanctioned crude in transactions that help fund the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said the move aims to deliver a blow to President Vladimir Putin, who is using the fleet to generate revenue to support the attacks on its neighbor.

“Putin is rubbing his hands at the war in the Middle East because he thinks higher oil prices will let him line his pockets,” Starmer said in a statement released Wednesday.

“That’s why we’re going after his shadow fleet even harder, not just keeping Britain safe but starving Putin’s war machine of the dirty profits that fund his barbaric campaign in Ukraine,” Starmer said.

The move means Russian ships seeking to evade interception would have to steer clear of British waters, such as the English Channel, driving up shipping costs, according to the statement.

British military and law enforcement specialists have been training for various scenarios. These include boarding ships that don’t surrender, are armed or use high-tech methods to evade capture, according to the statement.

The announcement comes ahead of Starmer’s visit to a Joint Expeditionary Force summit in Helsinki on Thursday. The JEF group of Northern European countries has been trying to crack down on Russia’s shadow fleet.

Royal Navy personnel have supported JEF countries including Finland, Sweden and Estonia in tracking shadow fleet vessels in recent weeks, the BBC reported.

Moscow’s war in Ukraine prompted a ballooning in the size of that dark fleet — vessels without standard insurance, often flying under questionable flags, or no flags at all, and with opaque ownership structures.

More than 600 tankers have been sanctioned by a combination of the European Union, the UK and US for their links to Russia. Of those, more than 570 have been blacklisted by the EU since June 2024, more than any other authority.

Leaders of several US allies have criticized President Donald Trump for his decision this month to temporarily loosen sanctions against Russia in an attempt to ease pressure on energy prices triggered by the Iran war. The move stoked concern among Ukraine’s partners that the Kremlin would benefit from the energy price spike and use the extra funds to bankroll its four-year assault on its western neighbor.

Photograph: The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) group of Northern European countries has been cracking down on Russia’s shadow fleet; photo credit: Johan Nilsson/AFP/Getty Images

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