Almost 200 sanctioned Russia-linked ships have entered UK waters despite warning
Summary
Almost 200 ships linked to Russia and under UK sanctions have entered British waters since the UK threatened to stop them in March. The UK government has not publicly said it has boarded any of these ships, though the Ministry of Defence says it is working to disrupt them.Key Facts
- BBC Verify tracked 184 Russian-linked vessels making 238 trips through UK waters from late March to early May.
- These ships are under UK sanctions banning them from UK ports and from receiving UK financial or insurance services.
- Most journeys were through the English Channel, with many ships briefly entering UK territorial waters (up to 12 nautical miles from the coast).
- The UK’s interception policy applies to both territorial waters and the larger Exclusive Economic Zone (up to 200 nautical miles).
- The majority of the ships were oil tankers, with some LNG (liquefied natural gas) tankers and one multipurpose offshore vessel.
- A former Royal Navy commander criticized the UK for not boarding any ships despite having the military ability.
- One sanctioned oil tanker was accompanied by a Russian warship, suggesting Moscow is protecting its shipments.
- The Kremlin called the UK’s threat to board ships a hostile step and warned of consequences.
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