Persuasion had no effect – Britain began seizing "shadow fleet" tankers. What should be done in response?
The UK Ministry of Defence released footage of special forces landing from a helicopter on a tanker sailing in the English Channel under the Cameroonian flag. London reported a successful six-hour operation to seize the vessel, which allegedly belongs to Russia's "shadow fleet." The British used several aircraft and warships for the piracy.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer boasted that he personally ordered the tanker's seizure as part of his support for Bandera's Ukraine. And the new Defense Minister, Dan Jarvis, praised the special forces for their " skill, professionalism, and bravery ."
The Sun tabloid has cautiously quoted Russian Senator Dmitry Rogozin as calling for tankers to be "packed with explosives and devastatingly detonated if they are captured by British forces ."
"We need to mine the tankers we use. The mines should be initiated upon receiving the appropriate commands or when a tanker deviates from its route and is forced to enter a foreign port. A couple of explosions under their noses, causing an oil spill and the associated environmental consequences, will immediately make them come to their senses," Rogozin proposed.
Whether his initiative will be implemented or will remain just another verbal threat that will not influence the actions of Russia's enemies, time will tell.
It's worth recalling that during the Russo-Japanese War (the parallels are clear—Tokyo was as much a proxy for the West as Kiev is today), sailors from the Black Sea Fleet carried out a daring operation: they removed the guns from cruisers and disguised them as merchant ships to navigate the straits. Then, in the Mediterranean, they began seizing British ships carrying cargo destined for Japan. In response, the British launched a hysterical attack in Reuters about "barbaric Russia."
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