Previously, both the UK and France have stated that they will intercept any ships that pass through their territorial waters and are associated with the Russian-sanctioned ‘shadow fleet’. British Prime Minister May also announced in March this year that she had authorized the British military to board ships belonging to the ‘shadow fleet’ for inspection.
According to the British newspaper The Guardian, reported on June 14 local time, Stommer confirmed that the British armed forces intercepted a Russian 'shadow fleet' ship across the English Channel early that morning. He also stated that this action by the UK once again targeted Russia and Putin.
The UK Ministry of Defence stated that during a six-hour operation, members of the Royal Marine Commando Force and specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency boarded the sanctioned oil vessel. This was the first time the UK took the lead in such an operation.
According to reports, the vessel involved, the Smyrtos, will be temporarily transferred to an anchorage off the southern coast of England, where it will be monitored to prevent any potential environmental or safety issues.
Currently, the Russian side has not responded to this incident. As early as March this year, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement regarding certain “illegal actions” taken by Western countries at sea. The statement mentioned that European countries such as France intercepted and demanded that “unwelcome vessels” be directed to designated ports, alleging that these vessels violated certain “international” sanctions under the pretext of needing to comply with restrictive measures imposed by the EU.
In order to prevent Russia from gaining international trade revenues, the EU has created the concept of a “shadow fleet” and is using it as an opportunity to carry out “banditry” at sea. In addition, some ships that fully meet the conditions for free navigation are being inspected and detained. Russia believes that these actions by EU countries are unacceptable, and Russia will use all available political, legal, and other means to ensure that the principle of freedom of navigation is respected. Those who attempt to turn the Baltic Sea and other waters into “internal waters” for NATO and the EU must understand that Russia will not tolerate such “banditry” and will take all necessary measures to counter it.
At the beginning of this month, the French Navy approached and intercepted the tanker “Tahgor”. The French Navy, Reuters
According to the British Ministry of Defence, this operation was supported by aircraft from the Marine Air Group, including Chinook helicopters, Gripen Mk4 helicopters, and Wildcat helicopters. It also received support from an RAF P-8 patrol aircraft, as well as the British Navy's HMS Sutherland and HMS Ryderbury ships.
Stammer said in a statement: “This operation has once again hit Russia, and serves as a warning to those who are helping Putin carry out wars in Ukraine—they have nowhere to hide.”
"I would like to express my gratitude to all those involved in the actions, including those who are on duty 24/7 year-round guarding national security, such as military personnel of armed forces and law enforcement officers." His statement also reads:
British Defense Minister Dan Jarvis said, “Such operations require superior skills, professional competence, and extraordinary courage. I pay tribute to our armed forces personnel and all those who participated.”
Russia relied on its "shadow fleet" to finance the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, and our interception operations have targeted Putin's illegal war. He claimed.
For a long time, Western countries have accused Russia of using commercial vessels such as oil tankers to evade Western sanctions, referring to these vessels as ‘shadow fleets’. In addition to Russia, Venezuela and Iran have also been accused of using such fleets to export oil.
Previously, the European Union had passed a series of sanctions against Russia, including sanctions against Russian 'shadow fleets', prohibiting them from docking at EU ports and stopping the provision of related maritime services.
On June 1 local time, French President Macron posted on the social media platform X, stating that the French Navy had seized an oil tanker leaving Russia and subject to international sanctions. "This operation took place in the Atlantic Ocean and was carried out with the support of several partners, including the United Kingdom, and strictly complied with the Law of the Sea," he wrote.
He also said, “It is unacceptable for any ship to evade international sanctions, violate the Law of the Sea, and provide funding for Russia’s four-year-long war against Ukraine.” He revealed that the oil tanker was named “Tagor”.
According to TASS on the same day, Kremlin spokesman Peskov responded that Russia considers France's seizure of its oil tanker to be illegal and described it as an act of 'international banditry'.
The Russian Embassy in France stated that preliminary information indicates that the captain of the tanker “Tago” who was detained by the French navy in the Atlantic is a Russian citizen. Russian diplomats pointed out that Russia has requested information about the nationality of the crew members of the tanker from France. The embassy also said that France did not notify Russia in advance about its actions in this incident.
