UK commando force spearheads the operation (Image: LPhot Finn Hutchins; © UK Ministry of Defence CROWN COPYRIGHT 2026)
Special forces from a NATO ally have boarded a sanctioned ship believed to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
British military personnel rappelled from helicopters and seized the ship, the Smyrtos, transporting oil in defiance of international sanctions imposed due to Moscow’s conflict in Ukraine, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Sunday.
The incident, which played out in the English Channel on Sunday was what the nation’s Defense Ministry described as “the first UK-led operation of its kind.”
The ship will be detained and watched off England’s southern coast for investigation, the Defense Ministry confirmed in a statement. The action was conducted “in close coordination” with French officials, who have previously stopped several vessels connected to the “shadow fleet.”
Russia is thought to be operating a fleet of hundreds of vessels to circumvent sanctions related to its conflict with Ukraine.
“This operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin’s war in Ukraine that they cannot hide,” Starmer said.
U.K. officials stated that such actions were “directly bearing down on the resources sustaining Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and reducing its capacity to threaten security across Europe and beyond.”
British forces move in on the tanker (Image: Getty)
Russia is believed to be using a fleet of hundreds of ships to evade sanctions over its war against Ukraine.
Sailing under a Cameroon flag, the Smyrtos left the Russian Baltic port of Ust-Luga on June 5 destined for Port Said, Egypt, according to the MarineTraffic website.
Ukraine President Voldymyr Zelenskyy thanked Starmer and the British people for their “principled resolve.”
“It was Russia’s hubris, fueled by high oil and gas revenues, that paved the way for this war, and every decision by partners that deprives Russia of money also limits the war itself,” Zelenskyy said on X.
“Europe urgently needs to take legislative steps to enable not only the detention of tankers and restrictions on oil shipments, but also the confiscation of the oil they carry.”
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