The UK is reportedly preparing to implement a new strategy in the North Sea involving the deployment of a drone fleet aimed at seizing oil tankers associated with a Russian 'shadow fleet.' This initiative follows Britain's earlier ban on the importation of Russian crude oil and oil products in 2022, which also encompassed maritime transportation and financing related to these imports. Despite these actions, significant quantities of Russian oil have continued to flow into the UK, raising questions about the effectiveness of existing sanctions.

According to reports, since the imposition of sanctions, Russia has managed to ship approximately 550 million tonnes of oil through the English Channel, with a cumulative worth of around $326 billion. The situation is complicated further by findings that a considerable portion of diesel-grade petroleum products imported by the UK from countries like India and Türkiye actually originates from Russian oil. Critics argue that the UK sanctions have not been effective in genuinely curbing Russian oil shipments, prompting the need for new measures such as the proposed drone fleet.

The Royal Navy has begun drafting plans for a command center that would oversee a fleet of unmanned boats, which would patrol the North Sea for evidence of illegal activities related to oil transportation. If successful, this operation could mark a significant shift in how the UK addresses compliance with its sanctions against Russia, highlighting the ongoing geopolitical tensions between the UK and Russia amidst the broader context of the warfare in Ukraine.