According to a report by George Allison in the UK Defence Journal (UKDJ), published on 23rd January 2026, it appears that the Royal Navy “and its NATO allies” were monitoring the Russian tanker, General Skobelev, during a two-day operation as it sailed from the Mediterranean on its way to the North Sea. The UKDJ report also confirms that the tanker was being escorted by the Russian Navy corvette, Boikiy.
“Royal Navy ships and aircraft were activated to monitor Russian naval movements in the English Channel during a two-day operation conducted in coordination with NATO allies.
“Portsmouth-based patrol vessels HMS Mersey and HMS Severn were deployed alongside a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron as Russian corvette Boikiy and the accompanying oil tanker MT General Skobelev sailed toward the North Sea after returning from the Mediterranean”
This is the context of the events of the seizure of the oil tanker, Grinch, by the French and British forces, as provided by the Facebook page of Emilios George Ades Georgiades:
“The capture of the Russian lone oil tanker Grinch, which occurred on January 22nd through the joint efforts of France and Britain, is being hailed in Paris and London as a “brilliant military operation”.
“However, the Russian oil tanker General Skobelev, sailing through the English Channel was not alone. It was escorted by the Russian corvette Boikiy. In this case, a “brilliant military operation” by the British vessels HMS Mersey and HMS Severn, accompanied by a Dutch vessel, was “not an option”.
“The “bravery” which was displayed by the French and British Navies when they jointly carried out their act of piracy against an unarmed tanker the previous day, suddenly abandoned them. Instead, they opted for the next “bravest act”. That of “shadowing” the two Russian vessels… from a safe distance.
“N.B. The Dutch contribution to this “show of strength” was a vessel belonging to a private company and ‘leased’ by the Dutch Navy: as there is a “shortage of ships” in that NATO member’s Naval fleet.
” “Bravery” is such an unstable thing. Under unfavourable conditions, it turns “yellow”…” (25.1.26).
‘Nuff Said!
Eamon Dyas
The use of the English Channel by foreign vessels could become a difficult one for Russian vessels. The Channel does not consist of international waters through its entire length. Such waters cease at the Dover Strait where the 12 mile territorial waters of the U.K. and France embraces its entire width.
While the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea provides international shipping with a right “of transit” and “innocent passage” through a country’s territorial waters this only applies to vessels that are not under sanction or deemed unseaworthy or viewed as a security threat by the state whose territorial waters are involved.
This leaves Russian tankers open to legal intervention by the British and/or French navies in the area of the English Channel around the Dover Strait.
Given that both Britain and France have recently expressed a desire to prevent the operations of the Russian “shadow fleet” – and in fact already taken part in a joint exercise involving the seizure of the subsequently released Russian tanker – it would appear that this might be a rehearsal for possible action in the English Channel.
The joint operation between the British and French navies took place in international waters with the result that the seizure was not endorsed by France’s domestic law and subsequently had to be released. As no such restriction would apply to a similar seizure of a Russian vessel in the area of the English Channel around the Dover Strait I’m assuming that it’s only a matter of time when this will happen. If so it would constitute a significant escalation by Britain but this has been the pattern of British behaviour whenever Kiev seems to be under pressure to make concessions.
With the BBC currently dishing out the kind of “news” below as a means of preparing the public it’s quite possible that such action is closer than we think. The only thing that might be hampering the U.K. would be a U.S. disapproval of such action – at least until the current “peace” talks break down.
Sanctioned Russian tankers continue to move through English Channelpublished at 11:55 30 January
by Matt Murphy
BBC Verify senior journalist
Irish Political Review 