ReutersBritish armed forces boarded a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel in the early hours of Sunday morning, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
In an operation lasting six hours, Royal Marine Commandos and specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency intercepted the vessel and, for the first time, boarded it, supported by the RAF.
The vessel, Smyrtos, will be held and monitored off the south coast of England as investigations continue, the MoD said in a statement.
Sir Keir Starmer said: “This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide.”
It began its journey on 5 June from Russia’s Ust-Luga port, an oil terminal near St. Petersburg, before crossing west into the channel on Saturday, BBC Verify has found.
The vessel was sanctioned in July 2025 and has since changed its name from Myrtos to Smyrtos as well as the flag it sails under twice.
Russia has been operating a “shadow fleet” of tankers to evade international sanctions imposed on its oil exports.
Responsible for carrying 75% of Russia’s sanctioned oil, the shadow fleet of over 700 vessels provides a critical lifeline for the Kremlin, the MoD said.
The prime minister announced in March that British armed forces were “now able to board sanctioned vessels that are passing through our waters”.
The MoD said the UK has sanctioned more than 500 vessels.
The sanctions ban the vessels from entering UK ports and also prohibit British firms and individuals from providing financial, insurance, or brokerage services to ships that supply or deliver Russian oil.
The interception comes after a week of resignations over the government’s defence investment plan (DIP), which is set to be published before the Nato summit next month after months of delay.
Ahead of its publication, John Healey resigned as defence secretary, warning on Thursday that the level of military spending proposed by Sir Keir “falls well short” of what is needed to protect the UK.
Al Carns, the armed forces minister, also resigned, telling the prime minister that the DIP was “neither transformative enough nor sufficiently funded”.
Labour MP Pamela Nash also quit as Healey’s parliamentary assistant at the MoD, citing “delays and difficulties with securing the necessary funding to progress the defence investment plan”.
The operation on Sunday was supported with aircraft from the Maritime Air Group, an RAF P-8 aircraft, as well as HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury.
Responding to the interception, Attorney General Richard Hermer said: “This government made clear that we would pursue Russia’s shadow fleet under the full force of international law.”
The government has said it is targeting Russia’s oil revenues to “choke off funding for Russia’s war machine” in Ukraine.
The operation on Sunday morning was conducted in close co-ordination with the French, the MoD said, building on recent support provided by the UK to its allies.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on 1 June that his country’s military had intercepted a sanctioned oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia’s shadow fleet on Sunday with UK support.
A British helicopter provided support during the operation, the MoD told the BBC.
