LONDON — Britain has launched an investigation into a sanctioned oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” with British forces boarding and detaining the vessel in the English Channel, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday.The tanker, identified as the Smyrtos, was boarded and detained by British armed forces in what the UK Defense Ministry described as the first UK-led operation of its kind.The vessel will remain under detention and monitoring off England’s southern coast while authorities conduct an investigation, according to the ministry.The operation was carried out in close coordination with French authorities, which have previously intercepted vessels linked to Russia’s sanctions-evasion network.Western governments believe Russia operates hundreds of vessels through a so-called shadow fleet to continue exporting oil while circumventing international sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine.”This operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin’s war in Ukraine that they cannot hide,” Starmer said.British officials said the action was aimed at targeting revenue streams that help sustain Russia’s military operations.
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