London: British armed forces on Sunday carried out a bold operation to intercept the Russian shadow fleet oil tanker SMYRTOS as it tried to navigate through the English Channel, Reuters reported.
Royal
Marine Commandos, alongside specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency, boarded the vessel in a coordinated operation.
The Ministry of Defence in a statement confirmed that the SMYRTOS will now be held and continuously monitored off Britain’s south coast while investigators dig into its activities. The statement emphasized that the action took place within Britain’s territorial waters and was conducted in full compliance with both domestic and international law.
The operation was personally authorized by British Prime Minister Kier Starmer, who issued a direct order for the interception to take place. In a post on X, Starmer highlighted the significance of the move: “This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide.”