BRITAIN PIRACY? Russia Slams UK Over Plan to Sell Seized Oil Tanker for Ukraine | Times Now World

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BRITAIN PIRACY? Russia Slams UK Over Plan to Sell Seized Oil Tanker for Ukraine | Times Now World In a significant escalation of international maritime enforcement, British authorities are reviewing a highly contentious proposal to auction approximately 100,000 tons of sanctioned Urals crude oil seized from the detained tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel. The vessel, operating under a Cameroon flag, was interdicted and boarded by Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency (NCA) officials on June 14, 2026, under allegations of violating UK sanctions regimes linked to Russia's maritime "shadow fleet." Whitehall sources indicate that the liquid cargo, valued at an estimated £35 million, is now legally deemed British state property, with plans under evaluation to channel the liquidation proceeds directly to fund Ukraine's war effort. The Kremlin has reacted with diplomatic fury, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov formally designating the interdiction as an act of "state piracy" and war

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