British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said last night that he had given permission for British forces to board and seize Russian ships that his government claims are part of a network of vessels that allows Moscow to export oil despite Western sanctions, Reuters reported.
The decision comes as other European countries have also stepped up efforts to disrupt the so-called “shadow fleet“ of tankers used by Moscow to finance its war in Ukraine.
Starmer said he had approved more aggressive action against the ships because Russian President Vladimir Putin was probably “rubbing his hands“ over the sharp rise in oil prices oil, caused by the US and Israel's war on Iran.
“That is why we are pursuing his shadowy fleet even more vigorously, not only to protect Britain but also to deprive Putin's war machine of the dirty profits that fund his barbaric campaign in Ukraine,“ Starmer said.
Downing Street said British military and law enforcement officers were preparing to board Russian ships that do not surrender, are armed or use high-tech surveillance equipment to evade capture. The ships' owners, operators and crews could face criminal charges for breaches of sanctions law, the British Prime Minister's Office added.
European efforts to maintain pressure on Russia were undermined this month after the administration of US President Donald Trump granted a 30-day authorization to buy sanctioned Russian products to Global energy markets shaken by the Iran war are stabilizing, Reuters notes.
Starmer's move comes just before the start of the Joint Expeditionary Force summit in Helsinki today, during which Britain will call for greater coordination in intercepting ships from the “shadow fleet“.
The UK has imposed sanctions on 544 ships from the Russian “shadow fleet“. They sometimes pass through the English Channel - the strait that separates Britain from France.
According to British estimates, about three-quarters of Russia's crude oil is transported via these ships.