A sanctioned Russian tanker reportedly carrying Vladimir Putin’s secret war stockpile has been spotted traveling across the Channel.
A Kremlin cargo ship, named Universal, was left untouched by Royal Navy forces as it was escorted into British territorial waters by a Russian warship and a shadow-fleet tanker.
A trio of ships led by Hawking Universal were spotted off the southern coast of England on Wednesday.
RFA Tideforce immediately began tracking Russian ships, but were unable to intercept the precious cargo traveling past Dover.
The British auxiliary tanker was equipped with only light defensive weapons, so despite the New Powers allowing commandos to board Shadow Fleet ships to prevent interference from foreign ships on British soil, it could not intervene.
It has now been revealed that Universal was carrying “military relevant” cargo that would be used directly by the Russians ArmyA senior maritime security source said i paper.
More raids on ships in Russia
‘Think carefully’
Russia vows ‘explosive’ retaliation if commandos seize ships in UK waters
triple Threat
Britain tracked three Russian submarines hidden near undersea cables for a month
Vital barrels of oil, wartime supplies and spare parts were all reportedly hidden within the ship that would help fuel Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
A senior NATO source said the ship could have been carrying more nefarious goods such as food or spare parts for Russian warships “operating at some distance” from Ukraine.
He fears Russia is now using the channel for deliveries “often”.
The source claimed Universal is at least the sixth time a “military-relevant” Russian tanker has sailed unopposed through the Channel with a Kremlin warship escort in the past 12 months.
The cargo ship, labeled a blacklisted tanker, was sanctioned by the Foreign Office in September for attempting to “undermine or threaten” Ukraine by exporting oil. Russia.
According to data provided by Starboard Maritime Intelligence, Universal left a port near St. Petersburg in late March before taking a double battleship escort in the Baltic Sea on 2 April.
The frigate Admiral Grigorovich, which is often armed with cruise and surface-to-air missiles, was spotted sailing erratically behind Universal, a second sanctioned Russian tanker. cameroon flag.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer earlier this month vowed to take “even tougher” measures against Putin’s shadow fleet by allowing commandos to board ships that “line Russia’s pockets.”
Moscow’s ambassador to London, Andrey Kelin, hit back at Starmer’s decision, urging him to “think carefully”.
“This decision will not go unanswered. Appropriate measures are being considered,” he said.
It comes just a day after it was announced that three Russian submarines were tracked by Britain for an entire month before the navy helped Putin scare off meddling sailors.
Allied intelligence monitored a Russian attack submarine and two spy submarines hidden near undersea cables and pipelines in the North Atlantic.
UK Defense Secretary John Healey proudly praised the UK and its allies in Norway after the successful operation, which involved a frigate, aircraft and hundreds of personnel.
Speaking about the operation, Haley sent a clear message to Putin: “We see your activity on our cables and our pipelines.
“You should know that any attempt to harm them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences.”
“Our armed forces left them in no doubt that they were being monitored, that their activities were not covert,” Healy said.
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.
Crack British commandos have been training for a secret raid on Russia for several months.
Elite Royal Marines practiced covert missions nearly 200 miles inside the Arctic Circle, as seen by a Russian spy plane earlier this year.
The exercise was part of “Arctic Response”, NATO’s largest war game in the hotly contested High North.
It follows a pledge by the British and Norwegian navies to hunt Russian submarines together through a £10 billion warship deal.
The agreement aims to protect vital submarine cables in the North Atlantic, which are under increasing threat from Moscow.
The number of Russian ships spotted in British waters has increased by 30 per cent in the past two years, the Ministry of Defense revealed.
Amid heightened tensions following the invasion of Ukraine, Britain and its NATO allies have become concerned about the risk Moscow poses to undersea cables and pipelines.
The National Security Strategy Committee warned in a September report that attacks on undersea infrastructure could cause “catastrophic disruption” to the financial and communications systems that Britons rely on.
