Britain Foils Kremlin Oil Ship Tied to Shadow Fleet in English Channel

British forces, including Royal Marines and the National Crime Agency, boarded the oil tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel to halt a vessel tied to Russia's shadow fleet, holding the ship for investigation off the south coast of England with French help. The operation underscores Western efforts to choke off Moscow’s sanctions-evasion network, a shadow fleet of more than 700 vessels said to account for a large share of Russia’s sanctioned oil exports (about 75%), funding the war in Ukraine.