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Royal Marines board Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in English Channel
BBC News ^ | June 14, 2026 | Ella Kipling

Posted on 06/14/2026 8:59:57 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican

Royal Marine Commandos have boarded a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Marines, joined by National Crime Agency officers, with the support of the RAF, intercepted and boarded the vessel in a six-hour operation - the first operation of its kind by UK armed forces.

The vessel, Smyrtos, will be held and monitored off the south coast of England as investigations continue, the MoD said.

Sir Keir Starmer said: "This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling Putin's war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide."

There was no immediate response from Moscow, which has previously described similar interceptions as illegal and "bordering on international piracy".

In video footage shared by the MoD, armed personnel can be seen boarding the vessel by fast-roping from a helicopter.

Further videos show them conducting searches of cabins aboard the vessel, while officers from the NCA inspect paperwork.

Russia has been operating a "shadow fleet" of tankers to evade international sanctions imposed on its oil exports.

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...


TOPICS: Russia; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS:
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1 posted on 06/14/2026 8:59:57 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: MinorityRepublican

Meanwhile 10,000 “doctors and engineers” crossed the Channel.


2 posted on 06/14/2026 9:00:52 AM PDT by dfwgator ("I am Charlie Kirk!")
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To: MinorityRepublican

So, the F@#$wits in charge of Britain’s collapse can spend 6 hours raiding a real ship but cannot stop dinghies with criminals on board.


3 posted on 06/14/2026 9:10:26 AM PDT by bobbo666
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To: bobbo666
For now. They'll lose their capability to pull that off in 10 years. Maybe sooner.

South Africa used to be a formidable military power.

4 posted on 06/14/2026 9:11:42 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: bobbo666

+1 You nailed it.


5 posted on 06/14/2026 9:17:34 AM PDT by Starboard
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To: MinorityRepublican
Boarding one Russian ship will have zero long-term effect on the UK.

On the other hand, letting hundreds of these boats slip through…

But what do I know? Starmer has a fancy “Sir” royal title at the front of his name.
Me? I once came in third in a Prom King vote. But that probably doesn’t even count.

6 posted on 06/14/2026 9:20:28 AM PDT by Leaning Right
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To: dfwgator

BBC shilling for Labour. Yeah we are supposed to be impressed with marines boarding an unarmed tanker while thousands of savages invade England on small boats every month.


7 posted on 06/14/2026 9:39:11 AM PDT by gibsonguy
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To: MinorityRepublican

If the UK insists on commiting piracy; why don’t they use the tens of thousands of pirates they are busy importing to accomplish this task?


8 posted on 06/14/2026 9:44:01 AM PDT by yuleeyahoo (“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” - the deep-state)
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To: MinorityRepublican

all the while, tens of thousands of young, fighting-age Islamicist men, aka terrorists or prime terrorist candidates, are still being let, or welcomed into UK (where the Ruling Elite then forces working Brits to support these wonderful “immigrants” in council housing and free grub and free education and free medical care (for what its worth) and all the rest of the famous British social welfare system

The British Ruling Elite’s sold the country out.
Period.
stopping a Russian vessel isn’t changing that disaster one whit.


9 posted on 06/14/2026 9:52:39 AM PDT by faithhopecharity ("Politicians aren't born, they're excreted." Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 to 43 BCE))
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To: yuleeyahoo; bobbo666

You whine about “piracy” against Russia, yet you say squat when Russia kidnaps Ukrainian children

Typical BorisBot hypocrite


10 posted on 06/14/2026 10:03:14 AM PDT by canuck_conservative (Russia lies all the time)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Seems to me like Starmer is trying to have his military mimic the successful US Navy and Marines operations. Starmer is trying to look like a tough guy. Barf!


11 posted on 06/14/2026 10:05:24 AM PDT by Avalon Memories (It seems to be a law of nature...that those who will not risk cannot win. --John Paul Jones)
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To: dfwgator

And the UK has been violating the sanctions on Russian energy all along.


12 posted on 06/14/2026 10:08:10 AM PDT by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away! 🇺🇸 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿)
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To: MinorityRepublican

13 posted on 06/14/2026 10:08:27 AM PDT by dfwgator ("I am Charlie Kirk!")
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To: mewzilla
A modified limited hangout from a couple of days ago via the Beeb...

UK vows to phase out Russian diesel and jet fuel imports by new year

14 posted on 06/14/2026 10:09:42 AM PDT by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away! 🇺🇸 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿)
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To: mewzilla
Wow, get a load of this, per the UK's Deep State...

UK to set end date for imports of Russian diesel and jet fuel via third countries

Okaaaaay...

15 posted on 06/14/2026 10:11:42 AM PDT by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away! 🇺🇸 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿)
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To: dfwgator

This is the modern day privateer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZm4LtD9vw8

We are boarding these ships because we give ourselves the right to do so.

Might makes right.

The Russians do not have the Navy and power to push back, so we do what we want. All awhile we strill up the masses with some fantasy about Putin wanting to rebuild the Soviet Union and planning on invading Western Europe, bla bla bla.

These ships belong to someone else.

The property on the ships belongs to someone else.

They are in international waters usually.

So what are we doing that is different than some Somali pirate?


16 posted on 06/14/2026 10:25:12 AM PDT by Red6
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