Russian warships have escorted commercial tankers passing through the English Channel, while British naval forces closely monitored the passage.
Sea-news.az reports citing a statement from the UK Royal Navy, that British authorities limited their response to observation.
The UK Royal Navy deployed the destroyer HMS Duncan, the frigate HMS St Albans, and the patrol vessel HMS Severn to track the passage of two Russian naval vessels and two cargo ships through the North Sea and the English Channel—units London classifies as part of Russia’s “shadow fleet.” The three-day monitoring operation also involved the patrol vessel HMS Mersey and a Merlin helicopter.
This comes amid heightened maritime tensions. On June 14, then-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that British forces had seized a Russian shadow fleet tanker named Smyrtos in the English Channel, with The Daily Telegraph later reporting that London was exploring options to sell the more than 100,000 tons of oil it carried.
In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on August 12 that certain Western leaders have long sought to restrict the movement of Russian civilian operators in violation of international maritime law, recently resorting to seizing ships and selling confiscated property. Denouncing these actions as “robbery and piracy,” Putin warned that Russia would be forced to take reciprocal measures, noting that these responses would occur not only in the waters where threats materialize but also in other regions deemed appropriate by Moscow.
