The captain of a Russian shadow fleet vessel intercepted by British troops in the English Channel will appear in court charged with breaching sanctions.
Charges Against Ajay Pant
Indian national Ajay Pant, 38, has been charged with directly or indirectly supplying or delivering by ship prohibited oil or oil products from Russia to a third country in June 2026, in contravention of Regulation 46Z9B of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. He will appear at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Operation Details
Royal Marine commandos and officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) seized the tanker Smyrtos in the Channel early on Sunday in the first UK-led operation to capture a sanctioned vessel. It has since been formally prevented from leaving the UK. The 24 crew members, from Georgia and India, remain on board the ship, which is anchored off Weymouth in Dorset.
Joanne Jakymec, chief Crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: “The CPS has decided to prosecute Ajay Pant for breaching Russian sanctions following a National Crime Agency investigation and the seizure of the shadow oil tanker, MV Smyrtos, travelling through the English Channel over the last weekend. We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against Pant are active and he has the right to a fair trial. It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
