Talks between military officials have called for "proactivity" in targeting Russia's war economy, according to reports.

22:01, Sat, Feb 14, 2026 Updated: 22:03, Sat, Feb 14, 2026

Vladimir Putin Visits The Moscow Institute Of Physics And Technology in Dolgoprudny

Russia's 'shadow fleet' is thought to comprise around 1,500 tankers operating under false flags (Image: Getty)

The UK is reportedly in discussions with European allies about plans to seize oil tankers suspected of circumventing sanctions as part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet". Defence Secretary John Healey met with his counterparts from Baltic and Nordic nations to discuss operational and legal methods of seizing the vessels in a bid to increase pressure on Russia's war economy. The meetings are said to have taken place on the sidelines of this week's Munich Security Conference as part of the Joint Expeditionary Force, a group of 10 nations committed to defending the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea.

Hanno Pevkur, defence minister for Estonia, said the "atmosphere and understanding" of the talks was one of a need for proactivity. "The message is that the countries that give flags to the shadow fleet vessels need to know that there are measures that can be taken by other countries," he told Bloomberg.

France Russia Shadow Fleet (26022595833740)

Oil tankers in the fleet are suspected of evading sanctions (Image: AP)

The proposed measures could mimic the US's operation targeting oil tankers transporting cargoes to and from Venezuela, reports suggest, some of which had suspected links to Russia.

UK Chief of the Defence Staff Richard Knighton was also reportedly in attendance at the meetings to present possible courses of action, including coordinated vessel seizures.

The Russian shadow fleet is thought to comprise around 1,500 tankers operating under false flags, suspected of dodging regulatory oversight.

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It comes after the EU's executive arm proposed further sanctions against Russia earlier this month, on top of the 19 packages already approved, including further targeting of the dozens of ships transporting oil in the shadow fleet.

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Reports also suggest that the UK's Royal Navy is preparing to establish a command centre in northeastern England, from which military personnel would track sanctioned oil tankers.

The plans, reported by The Sunday Times, could include the acquisition of unmanned patrol boats to monitor the North Sea and English Channel across areas of up to 800 kilometres.