Hundreds of Russian shadow tankers trigger military alarm transiting NATO waters: report

Russian-operated shadiness tankers carrying millions of dollars successful sanctioned lipid are transiting the English Channel, raising warnings of a imaginable subject confrontation successful NATO waters, according to reports.

The movements came amid heightened tensions betwixt Russia and NATO, with the Royal Navy stepping up surveillance of U.S.- and allied-sanctioned vessels successful 1 of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

A Russian-flagged crude lipid tanker Vladimir Monomakh transits the Bosphorus successful Istanbul, Turkey. (Reuters/Yoruk Isik, File)

Sky News reported Wednesday that arsenic galore arsenic 800 shadiness tankers had passed done the channel, and proceed to bankroll Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warfare successful Ukraine.

Several Russia-linked lipid tankers — including the Rigel, Hyperion and Kousai — person been tracked by VesselFinder and are known to beryllium nether Western sanctions.

The outlet reported that 3 of the vessels were monitored this period arsenic they transited loaded with sanctioned crude.

The Rigel, an 885-foot Suezmax-class tanker sailing nether a Cameroonian flag, near the Russian larboard of Primorsk connected Feb. 2, with up to 1 cardinal barrels of oil, a cargo valued astatine astir $55 million.

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The French navy diverts a suspected Russian shadiness fleet tanker to Marseille-Fos port. (Reuters/Manon Cruz)

Sanctioned by the U.K., the EU and Canada, it is barred from utilizing larboard facilities successful those jurisdictions but is inactive permitted "innocent passage" nether maritime law.

The Kousai, sailing nether a Sierra Leonean flag, near Ust-Luga connected Feb. 2, and was warned by authorities to supply impervious of security wrong 24 hours.

The Hyperion, besides sanctioned by the U.S., switched flags aft delivering lipid to Venezuela, to obscure ownership and evade enforcement, according to reports.

Security experts warned of an accrued hazard of geopolitical escalation successful the region.

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Hundreds of shadiness tankers person passed done the English Channel and European waterways, and proceed to bankroll Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warfare successful Ukraine. (Kremlin Press Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

]Professor Michael Clarke told Sky News that determination whitethorn travel a constituent erstwhile Britain and its allies "get overmuch tougher with these Russian ships," adding that a "militarized confrontation astatine sea" this twelvemonth is simply a existent possibility, successful the Channel oregon the North Sea.

A U.K. Ministry of Defense (MoD) spokesperson said: "Deterring, disrupting and degrading the Russian shadiness fleet is simply a precedence for this government.

"Alongside our allies, we are stepping up our effect to shadiness vessels — and arsenic the Secretary of State acceptable out, we volition proceed to bash so," the spokesperson said.

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The MoD said it has requested impervious of security from much than 600 suspected vessels since October 2024.

The U.S. has besides taken a steadfast stance, seizing astatine slightest 7 tankers linked to sanctioned lipid trades since December 2025, including respective successful the Caribbean.

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