Russia has fired a stark warning after Sir Keir Starmer vowed to seize Vladimir Putin’s ships lurking in UK waters. The Labour leader promised to dispatch elite amphibious troops to board Moscow’s shadow fleet tankers if they try crossing the Channel.
Shadow Fleet Tanks Smuggling Sanctioned Oil
These rusty, ageing tankers are key to Putin’s oil smuggling operation, ignoring sanctions. Sweden recently revealed that armed Russian troops are stationed on these vessels, ratcheting up the tension. Despite Starmer’s threats, six shadow fleet ships slipped through the Channel last week without challenge.
Moscow’s Furious Response
Russia’s ambassador in London, Andrey Kelin, hit back hard. “This decision will not go unanswered. Appropriate measures are being considered,” he said, warning of “deeply hostile” reactions if Royal Marine commandos step aboard Russian tankers. Kelin added: “We regard any attempts by the British side to seize vessels associated with our country as unacceptable and intolerable. The escalation is ‘explosive’ in the busy English Channel.”
Starmer’s Crackdown Faces Legal Hurdles
Two RAF Shadow R1 spy planes patrolled the Channel last Thursday as sanctioned vessels passed unchallenged. The tankers sailed past Navy HQ in Portsmouth and Royal Marine bases with ease. Maritime law expert and ex-Royal Marine James Turner KC explained: “Ships retain the right of ‘innocent passage’ unless caught smuggling, slaving, piracy, or under false flag. If they behave themselves, you can’t stop them.”
Starmer Vows to Starve Putin’s War Machine
The PM insists his crackdown will choke off Putin’s cash flow to fund the war in Ukraine. “Putin is rubbing his hands at the war in the Middle East because he thinks higher oil prices will let him line his pockets,” Starmer said. “That’s why we’re going after his shadow fleet even harder—not just keeping Britain safe but starving Putin’s war machine of the dirty profits funding his barbaric campaign.”
Historic Naval Seizures Set Precedent
The threat comes after Finland seized the Eagle S tanker, suspected of damaging Baltic undersea cables in December 2024. Back in 2020, British Special Boat Service commandos took just seven minutes to retake the Nave Andromeda after stowaways seized control in the Solent. Starmer gave the green light for similar raids as he headed to a Joint Expeditionary Force summit in Helsinki, signalling a tough new chapter in the UK-Russia maritime standoff.
