The UK gove me t has defe ded its seizu e of a Russia “shadow fleet” oil ta ke i the E glish Cha el, afte Russia P eside t Vladimi Puti th eate ed to ” espo d i ki d”.
The Smy tos has bee a cho ed off Weymouth afte Royal Ma i es Comma dos i te cepted a d boa ded the vessel i a fi st-of-its-ki d ope atio to dis upt the sa ctio ed ta ke i Ju e.
The vessel’s captai , Ajay Pa t, has bee cha ged with b eachi g Russia sa ctio s, accused of di ectly o i di ectly supplyi g o delive i g p ohibited Russia oil.
Ove seei g Russia avy d ills i the Pacific Ocea , Puti scolded Weste cou t ies fo “seizi g ou vessels”, b a di g such actio ” othi g othe tha pi acy a d ba dit y”.
Weste atio s allege Russia has bee ope ati g a “shadow fleet” of hu d eds of vessels to evade i te atio al sa ctio s imposed o its oil expo ts.
These vessels sta d accused of usi g complex ow e ship st uctu es a d va ious tactics to obscu e the o igi of thei ca go, maski g thei li k to Russia.
The UK Mi ist y of Defe ce says Russia has a fleet of mo e tha 700 vessels, espo sible fo ca yi g 75% of the cou t y’s sa ctio ed oil.
This oil is a “c itical lifeli e fo the K emli ” i “sustai i g Russia’s illegal wa ” i Uk ai e, the MoD says.
O Wed esday, Puti wa ed Weste cou t ies agai st seizi g mo e of these ta ke s, sayi g: “If these pla s a e put i to p actice, we will have to espo d i ki d.
“A d ot ecessa ily i the wate s whe e aids o ou ships a d vessels a e pla ed, but whe eve we deem it ecessa y a d app op iate, a ywhe e.”
Vikto Lii a, comma de of Russia’s Pacific Fleet, accused Weste cou t ies such as B itai a d F a ce of ope ati g thei ow “shadow fleets”.
“We have the capacity to i spect a d detai vessels of u f ie dly states a d thei shadow fleets, a d i te age cy coope atio is i place, eady to begi add essi g these challe ges,” Lii a said.
I espo se to Puti ‘s comme ts, the UK gove me t said B itai ‘s a med fo ces a d law-e fo ceme t office s had boa ded the Smy tos “i full acco da ce with i te atio al law”.
“The UK is dis upti g a d dete i g shadow fleet vessels a d thei ha mful ma itime activity which is fuelli g Russia’s wa with Uk ai e,” a gove me t spokespe so said.
The spokespe so said u like Russia’s shadow fleet, “UK a med fo ces a d comme cial vessels ope ate fi mly i li e with i te atio al ma itime law”.
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The Smy tos co ti ues to be detai ed by the Depa tme t of T a spo t at a po t ea Weymouth i southe E gla d, whe e is it bei g mo ito ed by B itish autho ities.
The ship ow e is espo sible fo the upkeep of the vessel, i cludi g p ovisio of supplies fo c ew membe s o boa d.
But 22 out of the o igi al 25 c ew membe s we e epat iated i July.
Puti ‘s wa i g comes as the Eu opea U io i te sifies p essu e o Russia’s shadow fleet.
I his ema ks to Russia sailo s, Puti si gled out the EU, accusi g membe states of violati g i te atio al ma itime law a d “attempti g to est ict the moveme t of vessels belo gi g to ou eco omic ope ato s”.
A itta Hippe , the EU’s fo eig affai s spokespe so , said Eu opea atio s would ot be dete ed by Russia’s “th eats”.
“Fo us, it is a p io ity to limit Russia’s capacity to ge e ate eve ue to fi a ce its wa , i cludi g cu bi g the activity of the shadow fleet a d its e able s,” Hippe said.
She said the EU would “co ti ue to wo k with ou pa t e s to call out Russia’s i espo sible a d da ge ous actio s a d to uphold i te atio al law”.
Ma y Weste cou t ies imposed sa ctio s o Russia e e gy followi g Russia’s full-scale i vasio of Uk ai e i 2022.
Moscow has bee accused of dodgi g them by shippi g oil o aged ta ke s ofte with obscu e ow e ship o i su a ce.
To combat this tactic, i 2024 the EU bega sa ctio i g i dividual shadow fleet vessels – “Puti ‘s da k fleet”, as the Eu opea Cou cil, the bloc’s top g oup of atio al leade s, put it.
Mo e tha 630 vessels a e sa ctio ed as of mid-August 2026, mea i g they a e ba ed f om EU po ts.
Mea while, seve al i dividual Eu opea cou t ies have bee seizi g o detai i g Russia -li ked vessels o have ca ied out boa di gs o dete tio s whe sa ctio s violatio s a e suspected.
Most ece tly, the Italia avy, i co ju ctio with othe EU cou t ies, boa ded a ta ke i the ce t al Medite a ea suspected of ot bei g e titled to fly the flag it claimed.
Although that i spectio did ot esult i a seizu e of the vessel, othe s have.
Si ce the sta t of the yea , i e shadow fleet ta ke s suspected of ci cumve ti g sa ctio s have bee seized a ou d the EU.
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