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Admiral Grigorovich, a 3,620-ton frigate, sailed between the two tankers as they headed west toward Plymouth
01:57, Thu, Apr 9, 2026 Updated: 02:00, Thu, Apr 9, 2026
Russian navy ship (file image) (Image: Getty)
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a warship to escort sanctioned Russian vessels through the English Channel. The move has defied UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s threat to seize the vessels.
It has been reported that the Admiral Grigorovich, a Black Sea fleet frigate, accompanied a two shadow fleet ships on Wednesday, April 8. A British naval vessel followed behind.
Admiral Grigorovich, the 3,620-ton frigate, was armed with anti-ship, cruise and surface-to-air missiles. It sailed between the two 600ft tankers as they headed west toward Plymouth.
The Telegraph reported that Russia's fleet moved past the south coast while RFA Tideforce, a Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker, followed.
Sir Starmer in March gave special forces the authority to capture the ships illegally ferrying oil to support Russia’s war in Ukraine. He said he would hit the shadow fleet “even harder” if they sailed through British waters, but the country has not seized a single Russian vessel.
He has repeatedly faced criticism regarding the state of the Royal Navy and Britain’s Armed Forces.
An Iranian drone struck the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus in March and the HMS Dragon, Britain’s only deployable destroyer, took three weeks to arrive in the Middle East. It has already had to return to port due to water supply issues.
The Telegraph reported that Universal reportedly departed from the Russian port of Vysotsk on January 18. It is believed to be on mission to deliver crude oil to support the Kremlin funds. It was outlawed in British waters in September for attempting to “destabilise Ukraine or undermine or threaten” Kyiv by exporting oil from Russia to fund its invasion.
RFA Tideforce (file image) (Image: Getty)
The Cameroon-flagged Enigma was headed for Turkey after leaving port at Primorsk, north of St Petersburg, on March 29. It was sanctioned by the UK in May for pumping money to the Kremlin.
Andrew Fox, a retired major in the Parachute Regiment, said the Russians were seeking to humiliate Britain.
"The Russians are desperate to keep that oil flowing and keep the war in Ukraine going," Mr Fox said. "They are running rings around Starmer right now.
"If we’re really serious about helping Ukraine, we need to clamp down on these shadow fleet ships. That would send a message... It would embarrass Putin. At the moment, we’re not sending that message."
It is believed that Putin’s shadow fleet of 700 vessels carry about 40 per cent of Russia’s oil exports, with 544 ships sanctioned by Britain.
Under the Government’s plans, the Royal Navy and the National Crime Agency could be deployed to capture the tankers, using a legal justification from sanctions legislation passed in 2018.
Special forces personnel from the Special Boat Service and SAS may be able to seize tankers should armed guards be seen and the Royal Marines could board vessels that do not pose a danger.
Moscow has warned it would retaliate if the military were deployed to seize the ships.
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