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The UK government has defended its seizure of a Russian “shadow fleet” oil tanker in the English Channel, after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to “respond in kind”.<\/b><\/p>\n
The Smyrtos has been anchored off Weymouth after Royal Marines Commandos intercepted and boarded the vessel in a first-of-its-kind operation to disrupt the sanctioned tanker in June.<\/p>\n
The vessel’s captain, Ajay Pant, has been charged with breaching Russian sanctions, accused of directly or indirectly supplying or delivering prohibited Russian oil.<\/p>\n
Overseeing Russian navy drills in the Pacific Ocean, Putin scolded Western countries for “seizing our vessels”, branding such action “nothing other than piracy and banditry”.<\/p>\n
Western nations allege Russia has been operating a “shadow fleet” of hundreds of vessels to evade international sanctions imposed on its oil exports.<\/p>\n
These vessels stand accused of using complex ownership structures and various tactics to obscure the origin of their cargo, masking their link to Russia.<\/p>\n
The UK Ministry of Defence says Russia has a fleet of more than 700 vessels, responsible for carrying 75% of the country’s sanctioned oil.<\/p>\n
This oil is a “critical lifeline for the Kremlin” in “sustaining Russia’s illegal war” in Ukraine, the MoD says.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Putin warned Western countries against seizing more of these tankers, saying: “If these plans are put into practice, we will have to respond in kind.<\/p>\n
“And not necessarily in the waters where raids on our ships and vessels are planned, but wherever we deem it necessary and appropriate, anywhere.”<\/p>\n
Viktor Liina, commander of Russia’s Pacific Fleet, accused Western countries such as Britain and France of operating their own “shadow fleets”.<\/p>\n
“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,” Liina said.<\/p>\n
In response to Putin’s comments, the UK government said Britain’s armed forces and law-enforcement officers had boarded the Smyrtos “in full accordance with international law”.<\/p>\n
“The UK is disrupting and deterring shadow fleet vessels and their harmful maritime activity which is fuelling Russia’s war with Ukraine,” a government spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
The spokesperson said unlike Russia’s shadow fleet, “UK armed forces and commercial vessels operate firmly in line with international maritime law”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/zk2Lgy.png\")
<\/picture><\/span>Ministry of Defence<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/1476\/live\/59a2ade0-96fa-11f1-bb0e-6d40312a1485.png.webp)
<\/picture><\/span>Ministry of Defence<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n