British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on June 14 that the UK Armed Forces had intercepted a sanctioned Russian "shadow fleet" oil tanker in the English Channel in the early hours of the morning. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it was the first time Britain had led an interdiction operation against such a vessel.
In a statement, the MoD said that during an operation lasting approximately six hours, UK military personnel boarded the Cameroon-flagged oil tanker Smyrtos. Patrol aircraft, helicopters, and naval vessels provided support. The tanker has been temporarily moved to an anchorage off the south coast of England and is being monitored while investigations continue. Starmer said on social media that the move "once again strikes at Russia". The MoD also noted that the operation was conducted in close coordination with France.
Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and a special representative of the Russian president for foreign investment and economic cooperation, responded by saying that instead of intercepting illegal migrants, Starmer had seized an oil tanker in the English Channel in an attempt to distract the British public.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on June 1 on social media that the French Navy had intercepted an oil tanker sailing from Russia in the Atlantic Ocean on May 31, an operation carried out with the coordination of several partners, including Britain. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that day that the seizure of the Russian tanker by the French military was illegal and amounted to "little short of international piracy".
In March, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement addressing the "illegal actions" taken by Western countries at sea. For a long time, the European Union has accused Russia of using commercial vessels such as oil tankers to evade Western sanctions, labelling them a "shadow fleet". Russia considers these actions by EU countries unacceptable and has stated that it will use all available political, legal, and other means to ensure that the principle of freedom of navigation is respected.
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