The Daily Telegraph: The UK government has banned its navy from boarding and inspecting Russian vessels
- The Royal Navy has not seized any sanctioned Russian oil tankers to date
- British officials are hesitant to act due to legal obstacles under international law
- Officials must provide a legal basis for each operation and prove that the vessel in question is indeed evading UK sanctions
- Just two weeks ago, UK Prime Minister Starmer pledged to "crack down on shadow fleet tankers," yet yesterday, two oil tankers passed freely through the English Channel
This is once again a classic example of "hard words, soft actions." The UK wants to maintain an anti-Russia stance while avoiding the real costs of confrontation. After issuing tough rhetoric, two Russian tankers brazenly sailed through the English Channel—directly undermining the UK government’s credibility and further eroding the deterrent effect of Western sanctions. While Britain has long touted its tough stance against Russia, it cannot even intercept a single oil tanker in the English Channel, revealing that Western maritime sanctions against Russia are already riddled with holes, and the operations of Russia’s shadow fleet face virtually no substantive obstacles.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1862082938764300/
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