SVR accuses UK and Ukraine of plotting false-flag attacks on Russian Oil tanker
InternationalNews.uk
MOSCOW — Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has alleged that British intelligence agencies, with the involvement of Ukrainian operatives, are planning to stage environmental sabotage in international waters in an effort to target Russia’s maritime oil trade and provoke an international crisis.
In a statement issued by the SVR Press Bureau on Monday, Russian officials claimed that London is orchestrating a campaign to disrupt Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” — the unofficial network of tankers used to transport Russian oil amid Western sanctions.
According to the SVR, British operatives are preparing two potential false-flag scenarios intended to manufacture a justification for NATO intervention. The first involves sabotaging a Russian-linked oil tanker in a strategic maritime chokepoint, such as a narrow strait, causing a large-scale oil spill. The incident, the SVR claims, would then be used as pretext to justify “extraordinary inspections” of Russian-affiliated vessels by NATO states, under the guise of environmental and maritime safety concerns.
The second alleged scenario involves setting fire to an oil tanker while it is docked in or en route to a Russian-friendly port. The resulting damage would, according to the Russian agency, be blamed either on Russia or potentially on Ukraine, drawing parallels to the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosion.
Russia further accuses London of planning to delegate the operational execution of these attacks to Ukrainian security forces, reportedly under the assumption that their actions will be traceable enough to create diplomatic ambiguity but ultimately shield British involvement.
“The British are betting on plausible deniability and media spin to steer the global narrative,” the SVR’s statement claimed. “Their aim is to fabricate a major incident that could pressure the U.S. administration, particularly former President Donald Trump, into enforcing new secondary sanctions against countries purchasing Russian energy.”
The statement also implied that the UK seeks to leverage any resulting environmental disaster to justify broader restrictions on Russian oil shipments, potentially reshaping maritime enforcement norms and exerting greater control over global energy routes.
No evidence was publicly presented by the SVR to support these accusations, and UK authorities have yet to comment on the matter. Ukraine has also not responded to the claims.
Analysts note that the statement comes amid growing geopolitical tension over enforcement of maritime sanctions and the re-emergence of debate within NATO about how to handle the so-called “shadow fleet” transporting sanctioned Russian crude.
Critics of the SVR’s narrative suggest it may be a preemptive move to deflect blame should any maritime incidents occur involving Russian tankers, while others view it as a signal of heightened Russian concern over Western efforts to curtail its global oil exports.
This is a developing story.
