Footage released by Israeli journalist Asaf Rozentzweig (N12) shows British forces boarding the Russian shadow fleet tanker in the English Channel, following UK PM Starmer's earlier announcement of the operation.
Video footage released Sunday afternoon shows British armed forces boarding the Russian shadow fleet tanker *Smyrtos* in the English Channel. The footage, shared by Israeli journalist Asaf Rozentzweig (N12) and circulating on Telegram, is the first publicly available visual of the operation. It comes a day after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed the boarding at 09:17 Jerusalem on Sunday, saying it involved Chinook helicopters, a frigate, a mine-hunter, and other aircraft — the first such UK interception of a shadow fleet vessel.
Earlier Sunday, at 09:17 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported Starmer's announcement of the operation, describing it as a boarding of the shadow fleet tanker *Smyrtos* in the English Channel. Subsequent versions of the report added that the operation was the first of its kind by the UK targeting a shadow fleet vessel, aimed at preventing sanctions evasion and disrupting funding for Russia's war in Ukraine. The footage now appears to independently corroborate those details.
As The Zioneer noted in its background reporting, the UK government has identified shadow fleet operations as a key mechanism for Russia to evade Western sanctions and finance its military campaign. The boarding of the *Smyrtos* was presented by Starmer as part of a broader effort to interdict these vessels.
The authenticity of the video has not been independently verified by third parties, but its description of the boarding and the assets involved is consistent with Starmer's earlier official statement.
4 developments
- StrongFrance seizes Russian shadow fleet tanker off Sicily coast, Macron says
- DevelopingRussian Foreign Ministry spokesperson warns UK embassy in Moscow in wake of English Channel warship incident
- DevelopingRussian 'shadow fleet' suspected of launching drones over European military sites
- DevelopingUkraine says it struck a Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker in the Black Sea
Source and signal
- Open-source intake