UK charges Ajay Pant, captain of seized shadow-fleet tanker MV Smyrtos, with breaching Russia oil sanctions

The UK has charged Ajay Pant, an Indian national who captained the Russian shadow-fleet tanker MV Smyrtos, with breaching British sanctions on Russian oil. The vessel was intercepted in the English Channel and is being held off the coast of Weymouth, while 24 crew members remain onboard and are assisting investigators. The boarding marked the first time UK armed forces have carried out such an operation, signalling a tougher enforcement stance on sanctions evasion.