On Sunday morning, Royal Marine commandos and National Crime Agency officers boarded and detained the Smyrtos, a sanctioned oil tanker, in the English Channel.
This operation marks the first time the United Kingdom has acted independently to intercept a vessel from Russia’s 'shadow fleet,' which is used to bypass international oil price caps. The six-hour raid aimed to disrupt revenue streams that Prime Minister Keir Starmer says are fueling the war in Ukraine. In a sharp escalation, Moscow responded by threatening to rig its tankers with explosives to prevent future seizures by British forces.
The vessel is currently being held off the south coast for investigation as Western allies watch for further Russian retaliation in European waters.
.Here are the top political news stories for today.
@BDZWV6X23hrs23H
The sudden willingness of the government to seize shadow fleet tankers and the efforts made to create a media spectacle out of the story are a clear indication of how desperate Keir Starmer is to prove to voters that he's serious about defence, even though the resignation of three ministers over the Defence Investment Plan shows clearly that he's anything but
@BDZYRXG20hrs20H
Loading the political themes of users that engaged with this discussion
Loading data...
Join in on more popular conversations.
