Overview
- A Russian frigate, Admiral Grigorovich, escorted a three-ship convoy through the Dover Strait on Thursday, with reporters identifying the cargo vessel Sparta plus the General Skobelev and Akademik Pashin.
- The Sparta, a 415-foot roll-on roll-off ship built to carry wheeled military vehicles, was sanctioned in 2022 over links to the Syria supply route and was reported to be heading to Port Said in Egypt.
- Journalists say the convoy included a vessel believed to be carrying weapons, though the claim has not been confirmed by UK authorities.
- The Royal Navy did not move to stop the group, and the auxiliary tanker RFA Tideforce followed the ships without intervening, according to UK outlets.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer last month authorised special forces and National Crime Agency teams to board and seize Russia’s ‘shadow fleet,’ yet no interdictions have occurred as officials argue over where to hold ships, who pays upkeep, and how to handle possible asylum claims, while reporters estimate the fleet numbers in the hundreds and helps export sanctioned oil.