British forces have intercepted a sanctioned oil tanker belonging to Russia's shadow fleet in the English Channel, the defence ministry said.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Royal Marine commandos and specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency boarded a sanctioned oil tanker during a six-hour operation - the first UK-led operation of its kind.
The vessel Smyrtos will be provisionally moved to an anchorage off the south coast of England and be monitored for any environmental or safety concerns.
According to the MoD, 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.
GR
FR
DE
ES
IT
RU
EU
In video footage shared by the MoD, armed personnel can be seen boarding the vessel by fast-roping from a helicopter.
ReplyDeleteFurther videos show them conducting searches of cabins aboard the vessel, while officers from the NCA inspect paperwork.
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said: "Operations like this require skill, professionalism and courage. I pay tribute to our armed forces personnel and all those involved.
ReplyDelete"Russia relies on its shadow fleet to fund their conflict in Ukraine and our interdiction delivers a blow to Putin's illegal war."
Il Primo Ministro britannico, Keir Starmer:
ReplyDelete«Nelle prime ore di questa mattina, ho ordinato alle nostre Forze Armate di intercettare una petroliera della flotta ombra che tentava di attraversare la Manica.
El Reino Unido interceptó por primera vez un petrolero ruso, el Smyrtos, en el Canal de la Mancha, como parte de la lucha contra la "flota fantasma" rusa que evade sanciones. El barco, identificado como parte de una red de 700 embarcaciones que representan el 75% de las exportaciones rusas, será vigilado frente a la costa inglesa. La operación, conjunta con Francia, forma parte de un esfuerzo europeo por detener el financiamiento de la guerra en Ucrania.
ReplyDeleteFrancia , Bélgica , Finlandia y otros países europeos también interceptaron recientemente navíos sospechosos de eludir las sanciones y pertenecientes, según las autoridades, a dicha 'flota fantasma' rusa. La operación de hoy fue celebrada por el Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores ucraniano, Andrii Sibiga, quien calificó la interceptación como un golpe a la "máquina de guerra" del Kremlin.
ReplyDeleteEl primer ministro Keir Starmer declaró que las fuerzas militares británicas interceptaron un petrolero que Londres considera parte de la llamada flota fantasma. Escribió en las redes sociales:
ReplyDelete«A primera hora de la mañana, ordené a nuestras Fuerzas Armadas que interceptaran un petrolero de la flota fantasma que intentaba cruzar el Canal de la Mancha. Esta exitosa operación asesta otro golpe a Rusia. Quiero agradecer a todos los que participaron en la operación, incluidas nuestras Fuerzas Armadas y los agentes de las fuerzas del orden, que garantizan la seguridad de nuestro país las 24 horas del día, los 365 días del año».
Il Regno Unito ha sequestrato nel Canale della Manica la petroliera Smyrtos, sospettata di appartenere alla “flotta ombra” russa, usate per trasportare e vendere petrolio, aggirando le sanzioni internazionali. La nave, battente bandiera del Camerun, era partita 13 giorni fa dal porto russo di Ust-Luga, al confine con l'Estonia. L'operazione è durata sei ore
ReplyDeleteStarmer said on social media that the operation had delivered "another blow to Russia."
ReplyDeleteFrench President Emmanuel Macron said on June 1 on social media that the French Navy intercepted a sanctioned oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia's "shadow fleet" on May 31 with British support.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the seizure by the French Navy as "illegal" and said it was "bordering on international piracy." He added that Russia was taking measures to ensure the safety of its cargo.