The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, has officially authorized the British naval forces to stop and search Russian oil tankers in the country’s territorial waters. These measures are aimed at countering Russia’s evasion of sanctions, as criminal proceedings may be initiated against the owners, operators, and crew of the detained vessel for violations of the United Kingdom’s sanctions legislation.
This is reported by Finway
Strengthening the Fight Against Russia’s ‘Shadow Fleet’
In his statement, Keir Starmer emphasized that the United Kingdom is intensifying its fight against the so-called ‘shadow fleet’ of Russia, which is used to transport oil in circumvention of international sanctions. According to the Prime Minister, these actions not only enhance the security of Britain itself but also deprive Russia’s military budget of financial resources that are directed towards continuing aggression against Ukraine.
“Putin is rubbing his hands together over the war in the Middle East, believing that rising oil prices will allow him to line his pockets. That is why we are taking even tougher measures against his ‘shadow fleet’, not only protecting Britain but also depriving Putin’s war machine of the dirty profits that finance his barbaric campaign in Ukraine,” Starmer’s statement reads.
International Support for Sanctions Against Russia
The Prime Minister’s office emphasized that the United Kingdom is coordinating its actions with international partners. Recently, several of the country’s allies have already conducted operations against ‘shadow fleet’ vessels in the Baltic Sea, restricting key routes used by Russia to export oil in violation of sanctions. Thus, London is joining its partners and announcing its intention to increase pressure on the illegal transportation of Russian oil.
On January 22, 2026, during a speech at the economic forum in Davos, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized European countries for their inadequate response to the movement of Russian ships carrying oil and called for more decisive actions regarding their detention.
At the same time, French President Emmanuel Macron reported that French naval forces have already detained an oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea that was heading from Russia, and on March 20, another ‘shadow fleet’ tanker—the Deyna, which had departed from Murmansk and was heading to Port Said under the flag of Mozambique—was detained.