UK defends seizing shadow fleet tanker after Putin threat

The UK government has defended its seizure of a Russian "shadow fleet" oil tanker in the English Channel, an operation that involved Royal Marine Commandos, following a threat from Russian President Vladimir Putin to "respond in kind."

The MT Smyrtos was intercepted and boarded by Royal Marines Commandos in June, marking a novel operation aimed at disrupting sanctioned tankers. The vessel was subsequently anchored off Weymouth. Its captain, Ajay Pant, faces charges of violating Russian sanctions, specifically for allegedly supplying or delivering prohibited Russian oil, either directly or indirectly.

During Russian navy drills in the Pacific Ocean, President Putin criticized Western nations for "seizing our vessels," labeling such actions as "nothing other than piracy and banditry." On Wednesday, Putin warned, "If these plans are put into practice, we will have to respond in kind. And not necessarily in the waters where raids on our ships and vessels are planned, but wherever we deem it necessary and appropriate, anywhere."

Viktor Liina, commander of Russia's Pacific Fleet, accused Western countries like Britain and France of operating their own "shadow fleets." Liina stated, "We have the capacity to inspect and detain vessels of unfriendly states and their shadow fleets, and interagency cooperation is in place, ready to begin addressing these challenges."

In response to Putin's remarks, the UK government asserted that Britain's armed forces and law-enforcement officers boarded the Smyrtos "in full accordance with international law." A government spokesperson added, "The UK is disrupting and deterring shadow fleet vessels and their harmful maritime activity which is fuelling Russia's war with Ukraine." The spokesperson also emphasized that, unlike Russia's shadow fleet, "UK armed forces and commercial vessels operate firmly in line with international maritime law." Footage from the Ministry of Defence showed commandos boarding and searching the tanker.

Western nations allege that Russia employs a "shadow fleet" to circumvent international sanctions on its oil exports. The UK Ministry of Defence estimates that Russia possesses a fleet of over 700 vessels, which transport 75% of the country's sanctioned oil. The MoD describes this oil as a "critical lifeline for the Kremlin" in "sustaining Russia's illegal war."

Putin's comments coincide with increased pressure from the European Union on Russia's shadow fleet. Addressing Russian sailors, Putin specifically accused the EU of violating international maritime law and "attempting to restrict the movement of vessels belonging to our economic operators." The BBC has sought comment from the EU.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many Western countries imposed sanctions on Russian energy. Moscow has been accused of evading these sanctions by shipping oil on older tankers, often with opaque ownership or insurance. To counter this, the EU began sanctioning individual shadow fleet vessels in 2024, referring to them as "Putin's dark fleet," as termed by the European Council, the bloc's top group of national leaders. By mid-August 2026, over 630 vessels had been sanctioned, prohibiting them from entering EU ports.

Concurrently, several individual European countries have been seizing or detaining Russian-linked vessels, or conducting boardings and detentions when sanctions violations are suspected. Most recently, the Italian navy, in collaboration with other EU countries, boarded a tanker in the central Mediterranean suspected of falsely claiming its flag. While that inspection did not lead to a seizure, other incidents have. Since the beginning of the year, nine shadow fleet tankers suspected of circumventing sanctions have been seized across the EU.