Russian Tankers Defy UK Sanctions: Channel Navigation Raises Concerns

Sun Feb 01 2026 11:59:46 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Despite the UK government's vows to take action, sanctioned Russian tankers continue to navigate the English Channel, raising questions about enforcement capabilities and the ongoing evasion of sanctions.

Despite the UK's commitment to assertively target Russian vessels amidst ongoing sanctions due to the war in Ukraine, numerous sanctioned tankers have traversed the English Channel recently. Recent legal assurances indicated that these vessels could be detained, yet many have managed to evade this enforcement. The tactics utilized by Russia's shadow fleet, including changing names and flags, complicate efforts to intercept these tankers, which are vital for propping up Russia's economy in the face of international sanctions.

Dozens of oil tankers sanctioned by the UK in response to Russia's war in Ukraine have sailed through the English Channel this month despite defense officials vowing to take 'assertive action'.

Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has used hundreds of aging tankers with obscured ownership - known as the shadow fleet - to evade sanctions on its oil exports.

The BBC understands that the UK government received legal assurances earlier this month that such vessels can be detained. Yet 42 sanctioned tankers tracked by BBC Verify passing through the English Channel did so after that advice was received.

Among them was the Sofos - a tanker sanctioned by the UK Foreign Office in May 2025. It moved through the Channel after traveling from Venezuela and is now near the Russian city of St Petersburg.

Ship-tracking data shows the Sofos loaded oil in Russia in mid-November, before traveling to Turkey and then to Venezuela, where it switched off its tracking signal. Satellite imagery later placed it at Venezuela's Jose oil terminal on 22 and 23 December, before its signal reappeared outside the country's waters on 26 December.

The Nasledie, a tanker which is more than 20 years old, also entered the Channel in January. The ship was sanctioned by the UK in May 2025 and has been part of the shadow fleet since 2023, according to analyst Anna Zhminko.

In November, the ship had a makeover, changing its name from Blint and switching to a Russian registry after falsely flying under the Comoros flag. It left Russia in late December and just days after the BBC reported on the UK's legal advice, it entered the Channel carrying about 100,000 tonnes of Urals crude, Russia's flagship oil grade.

The shadow fleet has helped Russia mitigate the impact of an embargo imposed on its oil exports since 2022 and has propped up an economy battered by Western sanctions.

In January, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper indicated that the British government was ready to 'tighten the chokehold' on Russia and take new 'assertive actions' against shadow fleet vessels, particularly after it was confirmed that troops could board and seize tankers under the Sanctions and Money Act 2018.

While the UK has aided US forces to seize a tanker near Iceland in early January, British troops have yet to independently seize any shadow fleet vessels in the Channel.

This raises concerns among officials about the efficacy of current strategies, as BBC Verify has identified six tankers operating in the Channel under false flags since the beginning of January. Under the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, such tankers can be seized as stateless vessels.

Dame Emily Thornberry, chair of Parliament's Foreign Affairs Select Committee, expressed disappointment at the lack of interception of these vessels, stating, 'In order to give Ukraine proper support, we have to have not only sanctions that look on paper, but we have to mean it and implement those sanctions.'

Mike Martin, a Liberal Democrat MP and former British Army officer, questioned UK reluctance to board the tankers independently, noting, 'It's not that hard to project force 12 miles off the Straits of Dover.' Russian defense actions also indicate an awareness of the risks, as evidenced by a reported escort of sanctioned tanker General Skobelev through the Channel by a Russian warship.

As the economic lifeline provided by the shadow fleet continues, calls for rigorous enforcement of sanctions grow louder. Analysts highlight that the revenue generated is vital for funding Russia's military efforts in Ukraine.