Hundreds of Russian shadow tankers trigger military alarm transiting NATO waters: report

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Russian-operated shadow tankers carrying millions of dollars in sanctioned oil are transiting the English Channel, raising warnings of a potential military confrontation in NATO waters, according to reports.

The movements came amid heightened tensions between Russia and NATO, with the Royal Navy stepping up surveillance of U.S.- and allied-sanctioned vessels in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

A Russian-flagged crude oil tanker Vladimir Monomakh transits the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey.(Reuters/Yoruk Isik, File)

Sky NewsreportedWednesday that as many as 800 shadow tankers had passed through the channel, and continue to bankroll Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

Several Russia-linked oil tankers — including the Rigel, Hyperion and Kousai — have been tracked byVesselFinderand are known to be under Western sanctions.

The outlet reported that three of the vessels were monitored this month as they transited loaded with sanctioned crude.

The Rigel, an 885-foot Suezmax-class tanker sailing under a Cameroonian flag, left the Russian port of Primorsk on Feb.2, with up to one million barrels of oil, a cargo valued at around $55 million.

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The French navy diverts a suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker to Marseille-Fos port.(Reuters/Manon Cruz)

Sanctioned by theU.K., the EU and Canada, it is barred from using port facilities in those jurisdictions but is still permitted “innocent passage” under maritime law.

The Kousai, sailing under a Sierra Leonean flag, left Ust-Luga on Feb.2, and was warned by authorities to provide proof of insurance within 24 hours.

The Hyperion, also sanctioned by the U.S., switched flags afterdelivering oil to Venezuela, to obscure ownership and evade enforcement, according toreports.

Security expertswarned of an increased risk ofgeopolitical escalationin the region.

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Hundreds of shadow tankers have passed through the English Channel and European waterways, and continue to bankroll Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.(Kremlin Press Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

]Professor Michael Clarke told Sky News that there may come a point whenBritain and its allies“get much tougher with these Russian ships,” adding that a “militarized confrontation at sea” this year is a real possibility, in the Channel or the North Sea.

A U.K.Ministry of Defense (MoD) spokesperson said: “Deterring, disruptingand degrading the Russian shadow fleetis a priority for this government.

“Alongside our allies, we are steppingup our response to shadow vessels— and as the Secretary of State set out, we will continue to do so,” the spokesperson said.

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The MoD said it has requested proof of insurance from more than 600suspected vesselssince October 2024.

The U.S.has also taken a firm stance,seizing at least seven tankerslinked to sanctioned oil trades since December 2025, including several in the Caribbean.