British forces boarded and seized a sanctioned Russian oil tanker in the English Channel early Sunday in the first military operation of its kind conducted by the UK.

Royal Marine Commandos, accompanied by officers from the National Crime Agency and supported by RAF aircraft, intercepted the tanker Smyrtos during a six-hour operation.

Dramatic footage released by the Ministry of Defence shows armed commandos fast-roping from a helicopter onto the vessel before conducting searches throughout the ship.

BREAKING: Royal Marines, with support of personnel from the National Crime Agency, have boarded a sanctioned Russian oil tanker in the English Channel for the first time.

The vessel, the Smyrtos, was seized during a six-hour military operation which involved aircraft from the… pic.twitter.com/hucZQfdurs

— Tom Cotterill (@TomCotterillX) June 14, 2026

The tanker is now being held off the south coast of England while authorities continue their investigation.

WATCH: The moment Royal Marines board a shadow Russian oil tanker in the English Channel pic.twitter.com/6uLGfcqsl8

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) June 14, 2026

According to the Ministry of Defence, the vessel is part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” a network of ships used to transport Russian oil and bypass international sanctions imposed following the war in Ukraine.

The UK government says more than 500 vessels linked to the shadow fleet have been sanctioned.

Embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed the operation in a post on X.

“This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide,” he wrote.

In the early hours of this morning, I directed our Armed Forces to intercept a shadow fleet oil tanker attempting to pass through the English Channel.

This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not…

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 14, 2026

The Smyrtos was sanctioned in July 2025. Since then, it has reportedly changed both its name and flag registration in an apparent effort to avoid detection.

Tracking data shows the vessel departed Russia’s Ust-Luga oil terminal near St. Petersburg on June 5 before entering the English Channel on Saturday.

The ship was sailing under the flag of Cameroon and is anchored off the coast of Weymouth.

The operation involved Royal Marines, National Crime Agency officers, HMS Sutherland, HMS Ledbury, an RAF P-8 surveillance aircraft, and assets from the Maritime Air Group.

Former Armed Forces Minister Al Carns said the raid involved personnel flying at low altitude over the sea before rapidly boarding the vessel from a helicopter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the seizure, calling it an “important step” against Russia’s oil-export network.

I am grateful to the UK for taking this important step against Russia’s oil fleet – a shadow fleet tanker has been detained off the UK’s southern coast.

It was Russia’s hubris, fueled by high oil and gas revenues, that paved the way for this war, and every decision by partners… https://t.co/ej16vDOF0E

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 14, 2026

The operation was carried out in coordination with French authorities, who recently intercepted another sanctioned tanker believed to be linked to Russia’s shadow fleet.

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