Vladimir Putin sent a warship into the English Channel to escort a shadow fleet cargo vessel suspected of carrying weapons.
The Admiral Grigorovich is guarding a trio of Russian ships including the Sparta, a 415ft vessel previously linked to military equipment ferried to Syria, off the south coast.
The Sparta entered the Channel near Dover on Thursday morning, heading west and allegedly bound for Port Said in northern Egypt.
Accompanying the vessels are sanctioned tanker the General Skobelev and the Akademik Pashin, a refuelling vessel thought likely to be involved in supporting the journey from Russia to Africa.
Putin is openly defying Sir Keir Starmer’s threat to use military force to seize sanctioned vessels operated by Moscow.
The Prime Minister had authorised the military to “go after” vessels in Putin’s shadow fleet, which primarily export oil across the world illegally to fund the war in Ukraine.
Under the plans, announced last month, such ships can be boarded by the special forces and law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency.
However, the UK has yet to launch a single operation since Sir Keir’s pledge amid a dispute over where the captured tankers would go and which government department would pay for them.
The Sparta was sanctioned by US authorities in May 2022. She was reportedly part of the “Syrian Express” fleet of Russian vessels that used to run supply missions through the Bosphorus to Ba’athist Syria, supported by amphibious warships.
Allegedly, she has been involved in the transportation of military cargo and personnel from the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk to a Russian naval base in Tartus, Syria.
More recently, the vessel was involved in the evacuation of troops and kit from the Kremlin’s naval outpost in Syria to Libya following the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the former Syrian president, in December 2024.
The Russian-flagged ship, known as a Ro-Ro cargo vessel, is designed to carry wheeled military vehicles and heavy gear.
The vessel broke down near Portugal during the mission to Syria. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the engine failed and the crew was trying to fix the problem while the ship was drifting.
Russia’s shadow fleet is estimated to be made up of 700 vessels, carrying about 40 per cent of Russian oil exports. The ships evade capture by regularly switching names, electronic identities, owners and flags.
Since Sir Keir’s pledge to crack down on sanctioned Russian ships, more than 100 from the shadow fleet are believed to have cruised past the UK in defiance of the Prime Minister.
Earlier this month, The Telegraph witnessed the Admiral Grigorovich being used to escort two sanctioned tankers near Dover. They were followed through the Channel by a Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker, RFA Tideforce, which failed to intervene.
Witnesses in the Channel have told The Telegraph the latest Russian flotilla is not being followed by any Royal Navy vessel.
The Ministry of Defence was approached for comment.
