Royal Marines boarded Russian shadow fleet tanker, so Putin threatens retaliation
Back in June, Royal Marines fast-roped onto the deck of the Russian shadow fleet tanker Smyrtos – but since dramatic pictures were released of this operation, things have gone quiet.
That is until President Putin stepped in.
The Russian leader has now threatened to "respond in kind" to these types of operations.
A threat from Putin
Wearing full naval uniform aboard the Russian missile cruiser Varyag during a visit to the disputed Kuril islands claimed by both Russia and Japan, Mr Putin made it clear Russian action wouldn't be limited to locations where shadow fleet vessels are seized.
Instead, he said action would be taken "wherever we deem it necessary and appropriate – anywhere, including in the Pacific Fleet's area of responsibility".
So what does that mean for UK forces?
The Royal Navy has just two patrol ships deployed to the Indo-Pacific which are responsible for protecting British shipping.
River-class patrol vessels HMS Tamar and HMS Spey are not as heavily armed as the Russian warships in the area.
It's also worth remembering the Royal Marines' boarding of the Smyrtos went unopposed, but some Russian shadow fleet vessels are known to have military personnel on board.
While British boarding crews are trained to handle tougher opposition than they encountered on Smyrtos, if a ship's crew doesn't comply or actually opens fire, these kind of operations become far more unpredictable.
And there have already been questions over whether the Royal Navy has the mass to conduct these kind of boardings on a regular basis, with the absence of any fresh operations of that kind suggesting those questions haven't been settled.
Armed escorts
And don't forget about the Russian warships escorting these shadow vessels.
The Royal Navy recently announced that it spent 21 days on ops monitoring Russian activity in UK waters and the North Atlantic in July, a 25% increase in the last year.
The Royal Navy released photos which actually show the RFN Neutrashimy, the warship currently on shadow fleet escort duty, firing outside UK and French territorial waters.
River-class patrol vessel HMS Tyne was able to observe the gunnery display from as close as five nautical miles away and gather intelligence on the Russian ship's weaponry during the incident.
In response to Putin's threats, the UK Government insists the boarding of the Smyrtos was conducted in full accordance with international law.
It doubled down on the importance of disrupting and deterring shadow fleet vessels which provide so much oil revenue for Russia and the country's war machine.
The Smyrtos itself continues to be detained by the Department of Transport at a port near Weymouth, still fully loaded with 100,000 tonnes of Russian oil.
But how likely are we to see more Special Forces crews boarding shadow fleet vessels? And if they do, will Royal Navy vessels and other British ships around the world risk a Russian retaliation?
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
