The UK has escalated its maritime enforcement against Russian sanctions evasion, executing a military operation to board and seize a Russian “shadow fleet” oil tanker in the English Channel early Sunday morning, June 14, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed on X. The six-hour boarding operation The interception of the SMYRTOS marks the first time London has authorized a direct, physical boarding operation against a sanctioned Russian tanker in its waters. According to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), the operation lasted for six hours and was executed in close coordination with French authorities.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The boarding party comprised elite Royal Marines and specially trained officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA). To secure the vessel safely, the UK military deployed an umbrella of air and naval support, which included the Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland and the mine countermeasures vessel HMS Ledbury, as well as Royal Navy Chinooks, Merlin Mk4, and Wildcat helicopters, alongside an RAF P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft overhead. Following the boarding, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that the SMYRTOS was temporarily diverted to an anchorage off the southern coast of England. There, British authorities will conduct thorough inspections to assess the aging vessel for severe environmental and security risks. The MoD stressed that all actions within UK territorial waters were executed in accordance with national and international law.