UK Special Forces are gearing up to board and seize Russian vessels in Moscow’s “shadow fleet” after Sir Keir Starmer approved military action against the ships. In January, the Government determined a legal basis that would enable military personnel to board the sanctioned ships entering British waters.A debut operation is now set to take place in the near future. The Prime Minister has insisted interventions will suffocate “Putin’s war machine of the dirty profits that fund his barbaric campaign”.
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Sir Keir signed off on the military action as he touched down in Helsinki, Finland ahead of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit. He will address the northern European military gathering on Thursday. Britain leads the 10-country group, which also contains Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. The coalition is specifically designed to coordinate and react swiftly to crises in northern Europe, the Baltic Sea, and the Arctic.In recent weeks, the Royal Navy has carried out joint monitoring and tracking operations of the Russian shadow fleet with JEF partners including Finland and Estonia. A crack team of British military personnel has undertaken training over the past month in preparation for a variety of scenarios, including standoffs with armed crews. Operations on the sanctioned vessels could involve the Royal Marines and even the Special Boat Service – the Royal Navy’s elite maritime counterterrorism unit.It is believed that top military planners are currently monitoring ship-tracking systems to identify which vessel could be the first to be boarded. RUSSIA – READ THE LATEST:Economy alert: Fuel prices to rise as Russia loses 40% of oil export capacity in Ukraine strikesNow Donald Trump LIFTS sanctions on Iranian oil – just days after doing the same to RussiaRoyal Navy sends its smallest patrol boat to help seize hulking Russian mega-tankerGiving the green light for military action, the Prime Minister said: “We are living in an increasingly volatile and dangerous world, facing threats from different fronts across the world every day.”As Prime Minister, my first duty is to keep this country safe and protect British interests here and abroad.”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.”It is estimated that roughly 75 per cent of Moscow’s crude oil is transported via the shadow fleet. The 1000-strong armada of aging tankers illegally flies the flags of other countries to evade sanctions imposed by Western nations. One, the Deyna, was seized by the French just days ago – with the Royal Navy playing a small part.The 62-foot HMS Cutlass played a “supporting role” as French forces took the 816-foot Deyna in the waters off the British territory.Cutlass tracked Deyna through the Strait of Gibraltar before passing location intelligence to French forces, who subsequently stormed the vessel.Our Standards:
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