'Extraordinary': Commitment needed to boost Royal Navy amid Putin threats to UK ships, HMS Spey and HMS Tamar

Hostile threats to British shipping from Vladimir Putin cannot go unanswered, a former First Sea Lord has said.

Admiral Lord West of Spithead fears that UK military and commercial ships would be defenceless if Russia take more aggressive actions. This comes as Putin accused Britain and other European nations of “piracy” after the Smyrtos oil tanker was captured by Royal Marines Commandos - exclaiming that adversary vessels would be seized if similar actions persist.

A top Russian naval officer listed Britain as a possible target, claiming Moscow had collected information about 27 British-linked vessels which had transited close to the Kuril Islands, a disputed archipelago between Japan and Russia. Currently, River-class patrol vessels HMS Spey and Tamar are deployed in the Indo-Pacific.

Adml Lord West fears British ships - military and civilian - would be defenceless. He told The Daily Telegraph: “Our Navy has been reduced and reduced and reduced and we do not have enough ships to fulfil our role to look after global shipping. It’s extraordinary that successive governments have allowed us to reduce our Navy in such a way. The patrol ships are there to show a presence. But going back 30 years ago, there were four or five ships that would be steaming around here, not just two.”

The Portsmouth-based ships are lightly armed compared to Russian counterparts present, which includes a Varyag cruiser which carried out training drills near the Kuril Islands this week. Currently, the Royal Navy has two aircraft carriers, six destroyers, and five frigates in the surface fleet. Much of this is deployed near British waters, as well as the North Atlantic and High North.

Former defence secretary Ben Wallace told the Daily Telegraph that Britain should immediately seek support from allies such as France to share the burden of global protection duties. Russian activity has been increasing dramatically in the English Channel. British warships were activated 116 times to shadow 61 Russian warships and 28 Moscow merchant vessels in the within the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) during the 2025-26 financial year.

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MV Smytos remains anchored near Weymouth. The ship’s captain, Indian national Ajay Pant, faces a trial date after being charged with directly or indirectly supplying or delivering by ship prohibited oil or oil products from Russia to a third country in June 2026, in contravention of Regulation 46Z9B of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

In response to Putin’s threats, the Ministry of Defence told the BBC that Russia has a fleet of more than 700 shadow fleet vessels. They added that these ships are responsible for carrying 75 per cent of the country’s sanctioned oil; "critical lifeline for the Kremlin" in "sustaining Russia's illegal war", they said.

The MoD said Smyrtos was seized “in full accordance with international law”. A spokesperson added: “The UK is disrupting and deterring shadow fleet vessels and their harmful maritime activity which is fuelling Russia's war with Ukraine.”