UK seizes Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker, what that means

Article excerpt

Britain's Royal Marines boarded and seized a Russian-operated tanker in the English Channel, marking the first such seizure of a vessel from Moscow's "shadow fleet", the network of aging, often poorly maintained ships used to evade international oil sanctions. The operation prompted other tankers in the area to reverse course. The move signals an escalation in Western enforcement against Russia's workarounds to circumvent economic restrictions imposed after the Ukraine invasion, though experts debate how much the seizure will disrupt Putin's ability to sell oil on global markets.