UK Boards Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker for First Time

British armed forces boarded the sanctioned tanker SMYRTOS in the English Channel on June 14, marking the UK's first physical interception of a Russian shadow fleet vessel. The ship has been moved to anchorage off England's south coast for investigation. By making the operation public and leading it alone, London signals willingness to escalate maritime enforcement against the hundreds of aging tankers Russia uses to evade Western sanctions and fund its war.