'Splash & grab' and 'UK ready to seize more of Putin's ships'
BBC | 08.01.2026 07:56
'Splash & grab' and 'UK ready to seize more of Putin's ships'
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The i Paper understands that the UK is "ready to seize more" of Putin's "shadow ships" on its own. The possible future missions would be intended to "stop the illegal flow of oil" and would be part of a growing "grey war". This refers to hostile action that doesn't meet the threshold of an all-out war.The US has said it will control Venezuelan crude oil sakes "indefinitely" on the same day that it seized the Russian tanker in the North Atlantic, the FT reports. This marks "an escalation in Donald Trump's gambit to overhaul the global oil market".The Times headlines: "UK joins in the pursuit of Putin's shadow fleet". Unnamed sources have told the paper that the UK had been aiding the US in planning the mission after it "slipped through a maritime blockade of Venezuela". The paper also highlights the "crime spree" committed by Met police officers who were not properly vetted.The Guardian also leads with the "high-stakes Atlantic operation", adding that a second vessel is "said to be violating sanctions in Carribbean".There is "Kremlin fury" over the UK's help in the tanker seizure operation, reports the Independent. The vessel was captured between Iceland and Scotland in a "dramatic move that could put Donald Trump on a collision course with Vladimir Putin", the paper says.The "Badenoch blueprint to save our pubs" leads the Daily Telegraph, as the Conservative leader pledges to abolish business rates for "thousands of pubs". The paper also reports on the Met Police vetting story."Don't run down clock on 'safe' right to die law" says the Daily Express. Campaigners say that the House of Lords will cause "significant harm" to its reputation if peers don't pass the assisted dying legislation.The Daily Mirror calls for "Jesy tests" after the former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson spoke out about her babies' muscular condition SMA (spinal muscular atrophy). All newborns should be tested for the devastating condition, the paper writes.
