Vladimir Putin sends warship packed full of weapons sailing through Channel in open defiance of Keir Starmer

George Bunn
Thu, 23 Apr 2026 21:51:57 +0000

A Russian warship escorted a shadow fleet cargo vessel suspected of carrying weapons.

The Kremlin sent the Admiral Grigorovich the guard a trio of Russian ships including the Sparta.

The Sparta has been linked in the past to military equipment ferried to Syria, off the south coast.

It was allegedly bound for Port Said in northern Egypt as it travelled west through the Channel near Dover.

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The Sparta is travelling alongside two other vessels: the General Skobelev, a tanker under international sanctions, and the Akademik Pashin, a refuelling ship suspected of supporting the convoy's journey from Russian waters to Africa.

The cargo vessel has a notorious history as part of the so-called "Syrian Express", a fleet that conducted supply runs through the Bosphorus to support the Assad regime.

Intelligence reports indicate the ship transported military equipment and personnel between the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and Russia's naval facility in Tartus, Syria.

Following Bashar al-Assad's fall in December 2024, the Sparta assisted in evacuating Russian troops and equipment from Syria to Libya.

The Sparta is a roll-on roll-off cargo ship specifically built to transport wheeled military vehicles and heavy equipment.

During a previous mission to Syria, the vessel suffered engine failure near Portugal and drifted while crew members attempted repairs, according to Ukrainian intelligence services.

Despite the Prime Minister's authorisation for special forces and National Crime Agency officers to board shadow fleet ships, Britain has not conducted a single interception operation.

Labour's inaction stems from an ongoing dispute about where seized tankers would be taken and which department would bear the costs of such operations.

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Russia's shadow fleet comprises an estimated 700 ships, responsible for transporting roughly 40 per cent of the country's oil exports to fund its war in Ukraine.

These vessels avoid detection by frequently changing their names, electronic signals, ownership records and flags of registration.

Since the Prime Minister announced his crackdown, more than 100 shadow fleet ships are thought to have sailed past British waters in defiance.

Earlier this month, the Admiral Grigorovich was observed escorting two sanctioned tankers near Dover, with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel RFA Tideforce following but taking no action.

A Royal Navy spokesman told GB News they do not comment on ongoing investigations.

Earlier this week, Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed the UK’s biggest ever drone package for Ukraine, a technology he said is "defining the battlefield" in the war in which Kyiv is reporting record Russian losses.

Mr Healey used a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) in Berlin to announce 120,000 drones will be delivered to the country.

In opening remarks at the talks of the 50-strong group, Mr Healey said: "Ukraine needs our help in one vital area above all others, and that is drones. Drones are defining the battlefield in this war…

"So in the UK, we’re stepping up further to recognise this pressure. I’m announcing today that the UK will be providing this year the biggest ever package of drones for Ukraine, over 120,000 in this year alone.

"This will be backed by the £3billion of military support and the Russian frozen assets that we can free up to devote to Ukraine military aid."

The senior minister said that even as Russian President Vladimir Putin "wants us to be distracted by the conflict in the Middle East...we remember our duty to Ukraine and we recognise that Russian aggression is growing across Europe".

For four consecutive months, Russia has lost more troops than it can recruit, Mr Healey said.

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, who chaired the UDCG alongside Mr Healey and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, put the figure of Russian casualties at "over 35,000 a month”.

Ukraine’s Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told the meeting: "We are not only holding the line. We are increasing pressure. Russian losses reached record levels, exceeding their monthly mobilisation."