- WIADOMOŚCI
Intensification of actions aimed at the Russian shadow fleet
The British authorities have decided to intensify actions against Russia’s “shadow fleet.” The military has been granted the authority to board and seize vessels passing through British waters.
On March 26, the British government authorised the armed forces to conduct operations aimed at seizing ships transporting Russian oil subject to Western sanctions. “Putin is rubbing his hands at the sight of war in the Middle East, believing that higher oil prices will line his pockets. That’s why we are stepping up our efforts to target his shadow fleet—not only to ensure the security of the United Kingdom but also to deprive Putin’s war machine of the dirty profits that fund his barbaric campaign in Ukraine. He and his clique should have no doubt: we will always defend our sovereignty and support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” declared British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on 544 vessels suspected of belonging to the illegal fleet. It is estimated that around 75 percent of Russian oil is transported using this network.
The British decision will block Russia from safely using the English Channel, which forms part of one of the fleet’s routes originating in the Baltic Sea. Recently, ships from the shadow fleet have been detained in the Baltic by Sweden, Finland, and Estonia, as well as by France in the Mediterranean. In January, British forces provided logistical support for a US operation in the Atlantic, during which the Russian tanker Bella 1 was seized.
