'Choke off funds' that fuel Putin: UK aims to remove ally obstacles to seize Russian shadow fleet ships

Hundreds of ageing oil tankers said to be operating with unclear ownership have already been sanctioned by the UK, US and Europe for breaching sanctions on Russian oil. But UK ministers want to go further following a series of tanker seizures in recent months, encouraging other European nations to take similar action.

This comes shortly after the Portsmouth-based patrol ship HMS Tyne was scrambled from Portsmouth to shadow the Russian Navy Ropucha-class landing ships Aleksandr Otrakovsky and Aleksandr Shabalin, as well as merchant vessels Sparta IV and MV Sabetta, as they travel through the English Channel. The Royal Navy described the merchant ships as being “sanctioned”.

The Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer, and defence secretary John Healey, convened legal representatives from Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) nations earlier this week to discuss the legality of military action against the shadow fleet. This followed a meeting on military led by the Mr Healey in Munich, Germany, last month.

“As we enter the fifth year of Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, we’re stepping up the pressure on Putin, by choking off the funds that fuel his invasion and targeting shadow fleet vessels,” Mr Healey said. “I’m proud of the UK’s leading role in JEF, as we step up together to tackle the threats we face in this new era for defence.”

Although UK troops have not yet boarded a shadow fleet vessel themselves, British personnel aboard RFA Tideforce assisted in the seizure of the Marinera by the US in January. France has also carried out tanker seizures this year, including boarding the Grinch in the Mediterranean in January and assisting a Belgian operation to capture the Ethera on March 1.

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Sanctions have helped drive Russian oil revenue down 27 per cent since October 2024, to their lowest levels since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Despite this pressure, the oil price spike following US-Israeli strikes on Iran has sparked concern Russia’s revenues could begin to recover.

Lord Hermer said: “The Russian shadow fleet pose a significant threat to our security and prosperity, and this Government will be relentless in pursuing them under the full force of international law. We will achieve this through collaboration with our closest security allies, underpinned by our strong commitment to the international rules-based order and exploring all legal options to keep Britain secure at home and strong abroad.”

The JEF is led by the UK and includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.