Overview
- British Royal Marines and National Crime Agency officers boarded the Smyrtos in the English Channel, and the vessel is being held under surveillance off England’s south coast.
- The UK says Prime Minister Keir Starmer authorised the operation on Sunday, June 14, 2026, and that it was carried out under UK law with close coordination with French authorities.
- Officials have not disclosed the ship’s cargo or any formal charges as investigations continue, and the government describes the move as a targeted effort to disrupt revenue streams for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
- Ukraine welcomed the seizure as a blow to Kremlin financing while a Kremlin envoy criticised the action as a political distraction, and Moscow has not issued a formal operational response in the reports.
- The Smyrtos was sanctioned by the UK last year and trackers showed it in Luga Bay earlier this month, illustrating how the so-called ghost fleet uses opaque ownership, flag changes and circuitous routing to evade sanctions and why partners have stepped up ship inspections.