LONDON (dpa-AFX) - UK forces have been given permission to board Russia's sanctioned shadow fleet vessels transiting UK waters as the UK steps up its pressure on the Putin regime.
Announcing this, 10 Downing Street said Prime Minister Keir Starmer has agreed that the UK Armed Forces and law enforcement officers will now be able to interdict vessels that have been sanctioned by the UK and are transiting through UK waters.
It follows the Royal Navy supporting allies with the monitoring and tracking of several shadow fleet ships to enable interdiction in European and Mediterranean waters in recent weeks.
The move is the latest blow to Russia's shadow fleet, which is fuelling President Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine. It comes as Starmer arrives at the Joint Expeditionary Force Summit in Helsinki Thurs to discuss security in the region and how partners can combat an increasingly aggressive Russia.
A number of JEF allies, including Finland, Sweden and Estonia, have carried out recent operations against suspected illegal shadow fleet vessels in the Baltic, closing off critical maritime routes to Russia's malign operation.
By joining JEF partners in interdicting shadow fleet vessels, the UK will put a further stranglehold on the shadow fleet, closing off UK waters, including the English Channel, for sanctioned vessels.
This will in turn force ship operators to either divert to longer, financially painful routes, or risk being detained by British forces.
Starmer said, 'We are living in an increasingly volatile and dangerous world, facing threats from different fronts across the world every day. As Prime Minister, my first duty is to keep this country safe and protect British interests here and abroad. Putin is rubbing his hands at the war in the Middle East because he thinks higher oil prices will let him line his pockets. That's why we're going after his shadow fleet even harder, not just keeping Britain safe but starving Putin's war machine of the dirty profits that fund his barbaric campaign in Ukraine. He and his cronies should be in no doubt, we will always defend our sovereignty and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes'.
The Arctic and High North region is the only place where Russia, through its formidable Northern Fleet, can directly threaten the lifelines that sustain and protect the U.K. It is vital route transporting food and energy, and through which undersea data cables and the sea lines of communication connect the U.S. to Europe.
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