Vladimir Putin has dispatched a frigate into the English Channel to protect a shadow fleet suspected of carrying weapons. The Admiral Grigorovich warship is escorting three Russian vessels off the south coast, despite Keir Starmer's warnings that Britain would use force to seize sanctioned ships from Moscow.
Escorted Vessels
The frigate is guarding the Sparta, the General Skobelev, and the Akademik Pashin near the south coast. The Sparta, a 415ft ship linked to military equipment transported to Syria, entered the Channel near Dover on Thursday morning and is reportedly heading towards Port Said in Egypt. It was sanctioned by the US in May 2022 after allegedly being part of a Russian fleet used to run supplies through the Bosphorus to Bashar al-Assad's Syria. The vessel also evacuated Kremlin troops from Syria to Libya following the fall of the Syrian regime.
Shadow Fleet Operations
Often described as a 'clandestine' network, Russia's shadow fleet operates in plain sight, ferrying millions of barrels of oil through the world's busiest shipping route in defiance of Western sanctions, embargoes, and price caps. Dozens of these ships pass through the Dover Strait each month, part of a fleet of up to 800 vessels that continue to fuel Putin's four-year war on Ukraine.
Sir Keir Starmer has ordered the navy to 'go after' vessels in Putin's shadow fleet, which Moscow uses to export oil globally. However, it emerged on Monday that Britain is failing to board and seize Russian shadow fleet ships in the English Channel due to concerns about the cost of storing the vessels and asylum claims from the crews. None have been boarded so far, despite several using the Channel since Sir Keir gave the green light last month.
Concerns Over Costs and Asylum
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper have raised concerns about asylum claims by Russian mercenaries crewing the ships. Fears have also been voiced about the cost of mooring seized vessels, with officials citing the Irish government's expense in holding the drug-running ship MV Matthew. The Panama-registered vessel was confiscated in September 2023 after 2.2 tonnes of cocaine worth €157 million (£132 million) was found on board. It has cost €14 million (£12 million) to maintain in Cork harbour since then, ahead of plans to scrap it.
Earlier this month, Sir Keir was criticised after the Royal Navy allowed a Russian warship to escort two shadow fleet vessels past Dover. The frigate Admiral Grigorovich passed the coast with the 'senior service' only able to deploy a support ship to watch them head for the Black Sea. RFA Tideforce, an auxiliary tanker armed with light defensive weapons, simply followed the three-ship flotilla past Dover without intervening.
International Actions
Moscow's shadow fleet is reported to consist of over a thousand ageing tankers. They illicitly ship oil and other goods out of Russia by flying the flags of other countries, aiming to evade sanctions imposed by the West since the invasion of Ukraine began. Finland, Sweden, and Estonia have recently intercepted suspected shadow tankers travelling through the Baltic.
Announcing his plan to allow commando raids, Sir Keir said in March: '(Russian President Vladimir) Putin is rubbing his hands at the war in the Middle East because he thinks higher oil prices will let him line his pockets. 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 that fund his barbaric campaign in Ukraine. He and his cronies should be in no doubt, we will always defend our sovereignty and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.'
Defence Minister Luke Pollard has stated that a Russian warship escorting shadow fleet tankers 'shows how vulnerable they now are'. The Ministry of Defence was contacted for comment.
