On Sunday, Royal Marines seized the MV Smyrtos, one of the so-called “shadow fleet” tankers transporting Russian oil around the world. On Tuesday, a Russian frigate in the Channel – although outside British waters – fired warning shots when a yacht got too close to it. The Cold War at sea risks hotting up.
Moscow seems to be reserving judgement on the seizure – assuming it was a performative one-off by a Prime Minister trying to establish a legacy as domestic concerns grow for him. But days later, Sir Keir Starmer announced a fresh round of sanctions against Russia’s shadow fleet vessels, with the stated aim to “choke off” Russian revenue.
In case this is the start of a sustained campaign, Vladimir Putin will now be weighing his options, from bringing shadow fleet oil tankers under the protection of the Russian flag all the way to a campaign of sabotage against the UK and others.
Shorts
The first to respond to the tanker seizure in Russia were, predictably, the ultra-nationalists. Senator Dmitry Rogozin drew parallels with England’s use of pirates as privateers in the 16th to 18th centuries, and advocated placing explosives on tankers, to blow them up in the case of seizure.
