The timing of the UK’s Prime Minister’s get tough stance over Russia has drawn criticism from opposition MPs.
British commandos boarded an oil tanker over the weekend that is alleged to be part of Putin’s huge shadow fleet which helps Russia evade global sanctions.
The ship is now anchored off the coast of Dorset and its captain was arrested and charged.
Several MPs questioned the timing of the operation ordered by Keir Starmer, coming after the resignation of the government’s defence team.
The government pushed back saying such operations take weeks, if not months to plan, so could not be organised off the cuff.
Experts point out that hundreds of shadow fleet ships use the English Channel and that one showcase intervention by government was hardly going to make a difference.
It also comes at a time when Russia is being accused of using proxies to carry the fight into the UK and destabilise a Ukrainian ally.
What’s more, it has been denied that a following incident involving a Russian warship, the Admiral Grigorovich, and a British yacht being in the English Channel, is connected.
Read the story behind the clash.
UK officials denied it was a tit-for-tat incident.
Russian sailors are said to use small-arms fire, not directed at the couple sailing the yacht, to warn of an imminent collision. The ship had sounded its horn five times, the international sign for universal maritime danger and doubt signal.
Under the COLREGS, it means the sounding vessel does not understand your intentions or believes you are not taking appropriate action to avoid a collision.
The warship was not emitting an electronic signal, as do most civilian vessels.
The yacht changed its course, but the Russian sailors still felt threatened and used small-arms fire to alert the boat to the continuing danger.
The yacht again changed course and there was no further trouble.
This however is one of a large number of ‘passive’ Russian threats and actions, putting pressure on the UK and a number of European countries, mainly because of their support for Ukraine.
