Great Britain is not stopping russia's 'shadow vessels' despite authorization to intercept

The decision by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to allow the military to inspect vessels of russia's "shadow fleet" has so far yielded no tangible results.

According to Reuters analysis, at least 98 sanctioned vessels passed through British waters within a month of that statement. Not a single case of inspection or detention was recorded, even though such vessels may be transporting oil, grain, or weapons and often have opaque ownership structures.

According to monitoring data, a significant portion of the vessels passed through the English Channel or the UK's exclusive economic zone, with some using "spoofing" to conceal their routes. Unlike London, other European countries – including France, Belgium, and Sweden – have already carried out inspections of such vessels.

Analysts attribute Britain's limited response to a lack of specialized resources, as well as legal and economic difficulties associated with monitoring a large number of sanctioned ships.

Source: Yevropeyska Pravda, Reuters