The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, has officially authorized British naval forces to stop and inspect Russian oil tankers operating in the country’s territorial waters. Following such detentions, criminal proceedings may be initiated against the owners, operators, and crew members of the vessel for violating the United Kingdom’s sanctions legislation.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Combating Russia’s “Shadow Fleet”
In his statement, Keir Starmer emphasized that the increased control over Russian vessels is aimed at limiting the financial flows that support Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. The UK government is particularly focused on the so-called “shadow fleet” — Russian tankers that use complex routes to transport oil in order to circumvent international sanctions.
“Putin is rubbing his hands over the war in the Middle East, believing that rising oil prices will allow him to line his pockets. That is why we are cracking down even harder on his ‘shadow fleet,’ not only protecting Britain but also depriving Putin’s war machine of the dirty profits that finance his barbaric campaign in Ukraine,” Starmer’s statement reads.
International Cooperation and Recent Operations
The Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom emphasizes that several of the country’s allies have recently conducted operations against suspected vessels of the “shadow fleet” in the Baltic Sea, effectively blocking key routes used by Russia to evade sanctions. The United Kingdom is joining these efforts, seeking to further strengthen international pressure on illegal oil transport.
On January 22, 2026, during a speech at the economic forum in Davos, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized European countries for their inadequate response to the activities of Russian tankers and called for decisive action to detain vessels transporting oil in violation of sanctions.
In response to these calls, France has ramped up its measures: on the same day, President Emmanuel Macron announced the detention by French naval forces of an oil tanker heading from Russia through the Mediterranean Sea. On March 20, France carried out another detention — this time of the vessel Deyna, which had set sail from Murmansk and was bound for Egypt’s Port Said under the flag of Mozambique.