The British Royal Navy intercepted early this Sunday an oil tanker supposedly belonging to Russia’s “ghost fleet” (the fleet of ships that Moscow uses to evade international sanctions over the war in Ukraine) that was trying to cross the English Channel.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced this “successful operation” that “deals a new blow to Russia and reminds those who fuel (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s war in Ukraine that they have no place to hide.”
The interception of these ships is a common phenomenon, especially in the Baltic, but it is the first time that the United Kingdom has been in charge of an operation of this type.
Pending more information, Starmer has thanked the participants in the operation for their work and published a video of the raid with a final message for Putin: “Despite your efforts to evade sanctions, we will not let you get away with it.” The Russian Government has also not commented on the incident.
For his part, the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, thanked the United Kingdom for this “important step against Russia’s oil fleet.”
“It was Russia’s arrogance, fueled by high oil and gas revenues, that paved the way for this war, and every decision by partners that deprives Russia of money also limits the war itself,” he celebrated on social networks.
Zelensky concluded his message by asking Europe to “take legislative measures to allow not only the detention of oil tankers and restrictions on oil shipments, but also the confiscation of the oil they transport.”
