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4w ago

UK Pledge to Board Sanctioned Tankers Falters as Russian Frigate Escorts Them Off British Coast

A Russian warship shepherding blacklisted oil carriers near a UK wind farm spotlights a widening gap between tough talk and visible enforcement.

Caption: HMS Trent tracks Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich. Royal Navy warships and helicopters have been activated to shadow Russian activity in the English Channel and North Sea during a concentrated four-day operation. Portsmouth-based destroyer HMS Duncan and patrol ship HMS Mersey worked in tandem as they reported on the movements of RFN Boikiy as the corvette sailed eastwards through the English Channel. This operation came soon after patrol ship HMS Trent and Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron shadowed RFN Admiral Grigorovich as part of joint NATO efforts as the Russian frigate sailed past Gibraltar, through the English Channel and into the North Sea. Photographer: Royal Navy, / SWNS Provider: Royal Navy / SWNS Source: Royal Navy / SWNS

Overview

  • Russian naval vessels operating about 30 miles off Suffolk have escorted more than a dozen sanctioned tankers through the Channel, with NATO and the Royal Navy tracking the movements reported by The i Paper.
  • Since the March 25th pledge, BBC Verify counted 184 UK‑sanctioned ships making 238 transits through UK waters with no publicly evidenced boardings as the Ministry of Defence says it is disrupting and deterring without details.
  • Most passages ran through the English Channel and every ship entered the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone, which reaches up to 200 nautical miles, while at least 94 briefly crossed into the 12‑mile territorial waters where UK control is stronger.
  • Experts warn the shadow fleet doubles as a hybrid threat that can support espionage and sabotage, and they urge more resources and allied action as the UK lists 544 vessels and takes part in Joint Expeditionary Force talks.
  • The frigate’s escorts near the Galloper wind farm raise the risk of an oil spill or confrontation, and criticism has grown as a former Royal Navy commander called the lack of boardings pathetic.