UK supports French operation against Russian shadow fleet ship

UK forces have assisted the French navy in intercepting an oil tanker under international sanctions that was travelling from Russia and is alleged to be part of Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet”.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the operation in a social media post, saying it was carried out with support from several allies, including Britain, Sky News reports.

The vessel, named Tagor, was boarded in international waters in the Atlantic on May 31, Macron said.

British forces operating a helicopter from HMS Somerset provided monitoring and tracking support to the French navy ahead of the boarding, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Macron shared footage showing a soldier abseiling from a helicopter onto the tanker, as well as armed personnel moving across the deck.

French maritime authorities said the tanker, which had departed from the northwestern Russian port of Murmansk, was intercepted more than 400 nautical miles west of France. It is suspected of operating under a false flag, and is now being escorted to an anchorage for further inspection.

Russia is widely believed to operate a network of vessels known as its “shadow fleet” to transport oil and goods in an effort to evade sanctions imposed after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Oil revenues remain a critical source of funding for the Kremlin’s war effort, allowing President Vladimir Putin to sustain military spending while avoiding severe domestic inflation and currency instability.

The UK and France have pledged to step up efforts to prevent Russian-linked vessels from passing through their waters.

“Alongside our allies, we are stepping up our response to shadow vessels - to choke off the funds that fuel Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine,” an MoD spokesperson said.

Downing Street rejected claims that Britain lacked the capability to lead such operations. Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said: “The UK is disrupting and deterring shadow fleet vessels and their harmful maritime activity, and since October 2024 we have challenged more than 700 suspected shadow fleet vessels.”

He added: “I’m not going to comment on specific operational planning or give a running commentary, as this could compromise our ability to successfully take action against these ships and only benefit our adversaries.”

“But as we have said previously, any target ship will be individually considered by law enforcement, military, and energy market specialists before an operation is executed.”

Macron described the activity as unacceptable, saying it was “unacceptable that boats skirt international sanctions, violate the law of the sea and finance the war that Russia has been waging for more than four years against Ukraine”.

He added that such vessels “are also a threat to the environment and everyone’s security”.

Earlier this year, UK forces assisted French operations in seizing other sanctioned vessels, including the Deyna in March and the Grinch in January.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia “considers such actions illegal” and reiterated earlier accusations that such seizures amount to “piracy”.

By Vafa Guliyeva