Russia Warns UK Not to Interfere With Shadow Fleet Tankers
The shadow fleet tankers that carry Russian oil from the Baltic to Asia must past near the UK, and spend days within reach of British forces, so it is perhaps no surprise that the British government is contemplating a joint interdiction campaign. By boarding and querying stateless vessels, Britain and its neighbors in the EU could begin to strengthen the rule of law on the shadow-fleet side of the tanker trade, and potentially impede the flow of oil money back to Russia. In turn, Russia has signaled its displeasure with this concept, calling it a return to "piracy."
Interdictions of Russia-linked tanker tonnage would not be new. Finnish forces boarded the tanker Eagle S after a suspected cable-break incident in late 2024, and France boarded the suspicious tanker Pushpa (Boracay) in October 2025. And earlier this month, American forces boarded and seized the stateless tanker Bella 1 (Marinera), which had attempted to adopt the Russian flag registry. That incident drew a note of protest from Russia. (The U.S. continues to hold two Russian crewmembers from the ship, according to Moscow.)
Germany has recently signaled what a broader European interdiction campaign could look like. Last week, German officials queried the inbound shadow fleet tanker Arcusat about its insurance and flag status, prompting the ship to reverse course in the Baltic and make for the Russian Arctic instead. A joint campaign involving the UK would have even broader reach to cover vessels on the approaches to Russia's western oil ports.
Last week, UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper attended a boarding demonstration aboard a Finnish Border Guard vessel, the Turva, which had been involved in the interdiction of a suspicious Russia-linked freighter late last month. After watching a fast-roping exercise, she told Politico that the UK was willing to consider joint enforcement efforts. "We stand ready to work with allies on stronger enforcement around the shadow fleet," she said, declining to provide details about what enforcement might look like.
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Russian ambassador to the UK Andrey Kelin responded to her comments with an angry warning, and he said that shadow fleet tankers may soon be escorted by Russian government vessels.
"What politicians in London are talking about is essentially a return to the era of the pirate Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard," Kelin told Izvestia. "What they forget is that Britain has long ceased to be the 'ruler of the seas,' and its actions will not go unpunished."