The Russian ghost fleet brings together oil vessels used clandestinely by Russia to export its oil despite the international sanctions to which it is subject. These buildings are also suspected of having repeatedly damaged submarine cables in the Baltic Sea.
This is a strong new message sent by the United Kingdom. Keir Starmer confirmed that British armed forces intercepted a Russian ghost fleet ship in the English Channel on Sunday June 14, reports The Guardian.
In the early hours of this morning, I directed our Armed Forces to intercept a shadow fleet oil tanker attempting to pass through the English Channel.
This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not…
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 14, 2026
The Ministry of Defense said Royal Marine commandos and law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency boarded a Russian oil tanker subject to sanctions. During a six-hour operation, the agents boarded and took control of the Smyrtos, which was sailing under the Cameroonian flag. This is, to date, the first operation of this type carried out by the United Kingdom. The tanker will be taken to an anchorage off the coast of Dorset, near Weymouth, where it will be monitored for any environmental or safety risks.
Ukraine welcomes this interception and sees it as a blow to the Kremlin’s “war machine”: “Each ship stopped means less money for Russia’s war machine”, says the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andriï Sybiga, on XÂ.
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DIRECT. War in Ukraine: a blow to “Moscow’s war machine”, kyiv welcomes the interception of an oil tanker from the Russian ghost fleet in the Channel
Un “coup” porté à Poutine
Great resources have been deployed. According to the Ministry of Defence, the operation benefited from the support of aircraft from the Maritime Air Group (Chinook, Merlin Mk4 and Wildcat helicopters), a P-8 aircraft from the Royal Air Force, as well as the ships HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury.
In a statement, Keir Starmer declared: “This operation is a further blow to Russia and reminds those fueling President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine that they cannot hide.” “Operations like this require skill, professionalism and courage. I pay tribute to the personnel of our armed forces and everyone involved. Russia is counting on its ghost fleet to finance its conflict in Ukraine and our interception operation is a blow to Putin’s illegal war,” he said. said Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis. He also specified that the operation had been “carried out in close cooperation with the French.”
ud83dudccdMediterranean | The @MarineNationale intervenes on the high seas to control the flag of a cargo tanker coming from Murmansk u2693
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ud83cudfaf Verification of the nationality of the ship, suspected of flying a false flag
u27a1ufe0f Confirmation des doutes quant à la régularité du… https://t.co/WhGy5lINoh pic.twitter.com/qoWz5xh4M4— Armée française – Opérations militaires (@EtatMajorFR) March 20, 2026
France has already used this type of method. Last March, Le Deyna, an oil tanker from the Russian ghost fleet flying the Mozambican flag, was intercepted and taken to Marseille for an investigation.
