Dramatic footage shows British forces storm sanctioned Russian oil tanker during night

Dramatic footage shows British forces storm sanctioned Russian oil tanker during night Keir Starmer said the six-hour military operation delivers 'another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling (President Vladimir) Putin's war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide' British forces stormed a sanctioned Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the Channel for the first time in the early hours of Sunday, the PM said. Keir Starmer said the six-hour military operation delivers “another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling (President Vladimir) Putin's war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide”. In the first UK-led operation of its kind, Royal Marine Commandos and specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency boarded the vessel Smyrtos. Dramatic footage released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) shows soldiers stealthily dropping down from an Chinook helicopter onto the nearly 250m-long oil tanker from around 3am in the dark secrecy of the night. The ship was also boarded by NCA officers. Another clip shows Royal Marines armed with KS-1 rifles entering the vessel as they descend stairs before entering the cabins below. They prowl into the rooms as they shine a spotlight around the small rooms, which have a bed and desk but are empty of people. The Russian crew onboard was unarmed. No shots were fired and there were no injuries. The tanker has been detained and will be provisionally moved to an anchorage off the South Coast of England and will be monitored for any environmental or safety concerns. The operation was supported by aircraft from the Maritime Air Group (Chinooks, Merlin Mk4 and Wildcat), an RAF P-8 aircraft, and HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury, the MoD said. Mr Starmer said: “This operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling Putin’s war in Ukraine that they cannot hide. “I want to pay tribute to all those involved, including our armed forces and law enforcement officers who keep this country safe 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.” The Prime Minister agreed in March that British Armed Forces and law enforcement officers were able to board shadow fleet vessels, in accordance with international law. The Smyrtos, which was first sanctioned in July 2025, is one of 700 vessels in a shadow fleet responsible for carrying 75% of Russia’s sanctioned oil. The fleet provides a critical lifeline for the Kremlin, generating a war fund that supplies missiles and drones targeting innocent Ukrainian civilians and sustaining Putin's illegal war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was "grateful" to the UK for its operation. In a post on X, he said: "It was Russia’s hubris, fueled by high oil and gas revenues, that paved the way for this war, and every decision by partners that deprives Russia of money also limits the war itself. "I thank Keir Starmer and all Britons for such principled resolve. And Europe urgently needs to take legislative steps to enable not only the detention of tankers and restrictions on oil shipments, but also the confiscation of the oil they carry. This will certainly help bring peace closer." Cabinet minister Lucy Nandy on Sunday paid tribute to the navy officers and others involved in the operation. She said: "One of the ways that Putin is funding the war in Ukraine is to operate what is called a shadow fleet, which is able to transport goods, particularly oil, through waters that they would otherwise be barred from sailing in. And this morning, what we've done is intercept one of those shadow fleet vessels and detained that in order to disrupt the funding source of that unlawful war. "One of the instructions that the Prime Minister gave quite early on was that he wanted us to be on the front foot taking that sort of decisive action in order to keep the country safe and to deal with the threat posed by Russia, and this morning we've been able to successfully do that. "I want to pay tribute to all of the navy officers and others who've been involved in doing that. That is no small achievement, but it is also a significant blow to the Russians.” Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis - who was promoted after John Healey resigned as Defence Secretary last week over military spending disagreements - said: "Operations like this require skill, professionalism and courage. I pay tribute to our Armed Forces personnel and all those involved. "Russia relies on its shadow fleet to fund their conflict in Ukraine and our interdiction delivers a blow to Putin’s illegal war." The MoD said the UK is a leader in tackling the shadow fleet, having already sanctioned over 500 vessels. It added that Russia’s oil and gas revenues having fallen by 24% year-on-year in 2025 shows the sanctions are working.