Royal Marines Commandos boarded the Russian shadow-fleet tanker SMYRTOS in the English Channel during a six-hour nighttime operation backed by National Crime Agency officers. The raid used Chinook helicopters, a Merlin Mk4, a Wildcat, an RAF P-8, HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury, marking the first UK-led boarding of this kind.
London framed the action as lawful disruption of a sanctions-evasion network that helps finance Russia’s war in Ukraine. The government has said the shadow fleet exceeds 700 vessels and carries about 75% of Russia’s sanctioned oil, giving the operation reach beyond a single ship.
The move sets a firmer enforcement baseline for maritime sanctions.