Russia has vowed “explosive” retaliation if Starmer follows through on his threat to seize Putin’s ships in British waters.
Last week, the prime minister threatened to send elite amphibious troops to board the tankers of Moscow’s shadow fleet if they tried to cross the Channel.
Old and rusting tankers not only help Putin’s smuggling clearance Oilsweden has recently revealed that Russia Deploys armed soldiers on the same ships.
Despite warnings, half a dozen Shadow Fleet ships passed through the Channel unchallenged last week.
Now Moscow’s ambassador to London, Andrey Kelin, has hit back at Starmer.
“This decision will not go unanswered. Appropriate measures are being considered,” he said.
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Kellin urged the Starmer government to “think carefully”, although he declined to comment. step Putin can take over.
He added: “Let this come as a surprise to the British people.”
The longtime ambassador said it would be considered “deeply hostile” if Royal Marine commandos set foot on a Russian tanker.
“We consider any attempt by the British side to seize ships belonging to our country unacceptable and intolerable,” Kelin said.
“The escalation of tensions is extending to the highly sensitive maritime area of the English Channel, where more than 500 civilian and military vessels transit every day.
“Starting exercises there by using force is not only irresponsible but also explosive.”
Two British Special Forces spy planes – RAF Shadow R1s – Spent hours Thursday patrolling the channel as sanctioned ships passed.
Despite the government’s claims, at least six sanctioned ships passed the Strait of Dover unchallenged.
They also passed unhindered through Naval Headquarters at Portsmouth, Special Boat Service Headquarters at Poole and the Royal Marine Base.
Maritime law expert and former Royal Marine James Turner Casey said that ships have the right of “innocent passage”, even if they have been cleared, unless they are smugglers, slavers, pirates or sailing under a false flag.
He added, “If they’re behaving like this, you can’t stop them.”
Prime Minister He vowed the action would drain Putin of the cash needed to fight his war machine. ukraine.
Putin’s infamous ‘Shadow Fleet’
Russia’s “shadow fleet” refers to a secret network of old oil tankers used to bypass international sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine.
These sanctions, including price caps on Russian oil, are aimed at reducing Moscow’s revenues.
However, the shadow fleet allows Russia to continue exporting oil globally while avoiding Western controls.
This fleet is made up of old, poorly maintained ships that often operate without reputable Western insurance, relying instead on obscure providers or no providers at all.
To avoid detection, the fleet employs tactics such as turning off tracking systems, falsifying location data, and conducting ship-to-ship transfers at sea to conceal the origin of the oil.
Its opaque operations and lack of oversight create vulnerabilities for maritime security and international law enforcement.
Starmer said: “Putin is rubbing his hands on the war in the Middle East because he thinks high oil prices will let him line his pockets.
He added: “That’s why we’re pursuing their shadow fleet even more vigorously, not only to keep Britain safe but to starve Putin’s war machine of the dirty profits that finance his barbaric campaign in Ukraine.”
The Prime Minister’s decision comes a year after Finland seized the Eagle S tanker, which was suspected of cutting undersea cables in the Baltic, in December 2024.
The last time British forces seized a tanker in British waters, it took seven minutes for elite Special Boat Service commandos to take control of the 42,000-ton Navy Andromeda.
They were responding to a Mayday call after stowaways seized control of the ship in the Solent in November 2020.
The PM, during his visit to Helsinki, Finland for a summit with national leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), gave approval to commandos to attack Russian ships.
