Indian national accused of contravening sanctions after Royal Marines seize oil tanker in Channel

Telegraph Reporters

Published 15 June 2026

The captain of a Russian shadow fleet vessel which was intercepted by British troops has been charged with contravening sanctions, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

Ajay Pant, 38, an Indian national, has been charged with contravening Reg 46Z9B Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, and directly or indirectly supplying or delivering by ship prohibited oil or oil products from Russia to a third country during June 2026, the NCA said on Monday evening.

According to part nine of the 2019 regulations, someone who commits a trade offence such as the one Mr Pant is accused of could face up to 10 years in prison, a fine or both. He was due to appear at Southampton magistrates’ court on Tuesday.

Royal Marine commandos and officers from the NCA seized the tanker Smyrtos in the Channel early on Sunday, in the first UK-led operation to capture a sanctioned vessel.

The 24 crew members, from Georgia and India, remained on board the ship, which was anchored off Weymouth, Dorset.

Jarvis: ‘Another blow to Putin’

Dan Jarvis, in his first statement since becoming Defence Secretary, said the UK’s interdiction of the vessel “deals another blow to Putin”.

He told MPs: “We do not seek escalation, but we will always take the necessary steps to enforce UK sanctions. The UK has sanctioned over 550 Russian shadow fleet vessels, this has had a material impact.

“Nearly 200 have been forced to anchor because of the action of the UK and our partners, and yesterday’s operation sends a clear signal to Russia that the UK and its allies can and will act against the Russian war machine.”

He was joined on the front bench by Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, who he said was “someone who cares very deeply about our national security, and that is why she is here to lend that support”.

Joanne Jakymec, chief Crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: “The CPS has decided to prosecute Ajay Pant for breaching Russian sanctions following a National Crime Agency investigation and the seizure of the shadow oil tanker, MV Smyrtos, travelling through the English Channel over the last weekend.

“We have worked closely with the National Crime Agency as they carried out their investigation. We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against Pant are active and he has the right to a fair trial. It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

Sanctions package

Sir Keir Starmer will seek to step up pressure on Russia by unveiling a package of new sanctions at the G7 summit in France on Tuesday. 

The measures, to be announced as the Prime Minister discusses Ukraine with G7 counterparts at the summit in Evian-les-Bains, will target Russia’s shadow fleet and the finance networks the country uses to circumvent western sanctions.

The UK will sanction several vessels identified as moving banned Russian liquefied natural gas, bringing the number of sanctioned shadow fleet vessels to more than 600.

The sanctions are expected to target a network involved in covertly procuring western technology for Russia’s military, and third country suppliers helping Moscow move money internationally.

Sir Keir said: “Russia’s aggression threatens not just Ukraine, but the security of all Europe.

“That is why the UK is stepping up – choking off the revenues that fuel Putin’s war and powering Ukraine through the winters ahead.

“We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes and this announcement reinforces that. Putin should roll back his tanks, end his barbaric strikes, and come to the negotiating table.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/15/britain-charges-captain-of-russian-shadow-vessel/

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Why did we finally decide to seize a Russian tanker? The answer isn’t edifying

The military has shown it can deliver despite the resource pressure it is currently working under

Tom Sharpe

Tom Sharpe OBE served for 27 years as a Royal Navy officer, commanding four different warships.

Published 14 June 2026

Britain finally seizes a Russian shadow fleet tanker – but why now?

In the early hours of Sunday, British forces, led by the Royal Navy and directed from their headquarters in Northwood, boarded the MT Smyrtos, a tanker from Vladimir Putin’s shadow fleet.

The boarding itself was conducted by Royal Marines with National Crime Agency members alongside them. The team fast-roped down from an RAF Chinook while two RN warships – HMS Sutherland, a Type 23 frigate, and HMS Ledbury, a basically irrelevant minehunter – two RN helicopters (a Merlin and a Wildcat) combined with an RAF P-8 Poseidon to provide overwatch.

For the teams involved it was not the most demanding scenario they train for, but getting it right still mattered. When these operations go wrong, they go wrong fast.

The legal basis was straightforward: under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Britain conducted a flag verification boarding. The vessel was flying a Cameroonian flag that was plainly false, giving us the right to carry out a flag state inspection. The action is therefore lawful. It is also strategically significant.

Shadow fleet tankers exist to move Russian oil in defiance of sanctions, generating the revenues that bankroll Putin’s war in Ukraine and much of the rest of the Russian economy.

However, seizures like this are as much about psychology as they are about asset denial: “We can see you and if you break our laws we will act, decisively”. It’s also why we should have been doing it months ago.

The broader context makes the delay even harder to ignore. Britain first signalled its intent to start boarding in January when it assisted the United States with their seizure of the Bella 1/Marinera. In March John Healey, the then defence secretary, said action would follow. Since then, over 200 dark fleet vessels have passed us unanswered. France has carried out several interdictions. Other European and Baltic nations have acted too. Britain, despite repeated promises, did nothing until now.

The timing is impossible to separate from domestic politics. Two senior defence ministers have resigned in recent days. A new Defence Secretary has been installed at the eleventh hour. The Defence Investment Plan, meant to allocate money to critical capabilities, has unravelled just as a key by-election looms for the Labour Government. Legal authority existed to do this throughout, we just chose not to use it. What happened last night reminds me of a maths problem – you can sometimes get to the right answer even if your working out is horrible.

Even when we said we might do this back in March, a few dark fleet vessels began routing the long way round via Ireland, imposing real costs in time and fuel.

Russia has increased the number of warship escorts it provides through the English Channel. Neither development is cost-free for Moscow. Even the threat of boarding carries a cost. Actually doing one will raise the price of doing business and force Russia to spread its own limited naval resources more thinly.

Yet serious questions remain. What is the nationality of the crew and where will they be taken? What happens to any cargo? Most shadow fleet vessels are more than 20 years old, uninsured and often uninsurable. How safe and seaworthy is the Smyrtos herself, and what arrangements will be made for her and her cargo going forward?

Other countries have detained ships only to keep them for a few weeks before sending them meekly on their way. This is an area where we need to get tougher.

Retaliation, particularly in the cyber domain, cannot be dismissed. Britain is already under constant cyber pressure; this operation may prompt a spike.

Not enough warships

Linked directly to last week’s row over defence spending is another concern: sustainability. The Navy and RAF performed superbly last night. But the fact that a mine countermeasures vessel commissioned in 1981 was pressed into action speaks volumes about the thinness of available forces.

Britain does not have enough warships to sustain a campaign against the shadow fleet while also meeting every other commitment. One impressive boarding proves capability. Repeating the feat regularly, across multiple theatres, will test capacity.

Having said that, we clearly threw the kitchen sink at this one last night and that’s fair enough for the first of its type. If this is to become more common, as it should, I would expect to see fewer forces in situ next time.

There is also a point to be made as we rush to unmanned systems, sometimes on the grounds of perceived cost savings. The key element of what happened on Sunday needed determined men and women, with guns, imposing their will on “the enemy”. Much of warfare still ends this way, no matter how much the tech advocates wish it didn’t.

This was a punchy, well-executed demonstration of what Britain’s armed forces can still achieve when given clear direction, even if it should have happened months ago. The hope now must be that it marks the start of a steady rhythm of operations rather than a one-off political gesture.

The military has shown it can deliver despite the resource pressure it is currently working under. The Government must now prove it can keep delivering, and do so consistently and based on strategy rather than the next convenient moment in the domestic news cycle.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/14/britain-seizure-of-a-russian-shadow-fleet/