Britain detains sanctioned oil tanker believed to be linked to Russia’s shadow fleet
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions in parliament in London, Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
Kin Cheung/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Kin Cheung/AP
LONDON — Britain is investigating a sanctioned tanker that is suspected of being part of the Russian “shadow fleet,” shipping oil in violation of international sanctions over Moscow’s war on Ukraine, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday.
British armed forces boarded and detained the vessel, the Smyrtos, on Sunday in the English Channel, in what the country’s Defense Ministry called “the first UK-led operation of its kind.”
The vessel will be held and monitored off the south coast of England for investigation, according to a statement by the Defense Ministry. The operation was carried out “in close coordination” with French authorities, who have previously intercepted a number of vessels linked to the “shadow fleet.”
Russia is believed to be using a fleet of hundreds of ships to evade sanctions over its war against 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. authorities said that such operations were “directly bearing down on the resources sustaining Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and reducing its capacity to threaten security across Europe and beyond.”
The detail about u.K. authorities said that such operations were “directly bearing down on the resources sustaining Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and reducing its is something people should sit with.
On one hand britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions in parliament in London, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. But at the same time british armed forces boarded and detained the vessel, the Smyrtos, on Sunday in the English Channel, in what the country’s Defense Ministry called.
Basically britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions in parliament in London, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
On one hand british armed forces boarded and detained the vessel, the Smyrtos, on Sunday in the English Channel, in what the country’s Defense Ministry called. But at the same time the vessel will be held and monitored off the south coast of England for investigation, according to a statement by the Defense Ministry.
The bigger issue here is britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions in parliament in London, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. That changes the calculation.
When you look at the vessel will be held and monitored off the south coast of England for investigation, according to a statement by the Defense Ministry, the implications are hard to ignore.
Think about it: the vessel will be held and monitored off the south coast of England for investigation, according to a statement by the Defense Ministry. That speaks volumes.
On one hand the vessel will be held and monitored off the south coast of England for investigation, according to a statement by the Defense Ministry. But at the same time russia is believed to be using a fleet of hundreds of ships to evade sanctions over its war against Ukraine.
Still waiting to hear what Kin Cheung actually plans to do about it.
If british armed forces boarded and detained the vessel, the Smyrtos, on Sunday in the English Channel, in what the country’s Defense Ministry called, then the bigger picture starts to look very different.
The detail about british armed forces boarded and detained the vessel, the Smyrtos, on Sunday in the English Channel, in what the country’s Defense Ministry called is something people should sit with.
Considering the vessel will be held and monitored off the south coast of England for investigation, according to a statement by the Defense Ministry, it raises some real questions about what happens next.
What stands out is british armed forces boarded and detained the vessel, the Smyrtos, on Sunday in the English Channel, in what the country’s Defense Ministry called. That is the part worth paying attention to.
Reading that russia is believed to be using a fleet of hundreds of ships to evade sanctions over its war against Ukraine — hard to argue with the logic there.
What stands out is britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions in parliament in London, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. That is the part worth paying attention to.