Russian navy ship spotted near British coast 'is trying to prevent UK special forces seizing Moscow-linked oil tankers'

By ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 11:46, 15 April 2026 | Updated: 11:48, 15 April 2026 A Russian navy ship spotted near the British coast could be trying to prevent the seizure of Moscow-linked oil tankers by the UK's special forces, a security expert has claimed. A naval supply and repair vessel, known as PM82, spent 18 hours loitering off the Sussex coast on Monday. The vessel, which remained stationary near to Galloper windfarm, was previously stationed in Tartus, Syria, and has not been identified in the North Sea until this week. There are concerns the ship could have been in the area as a makeshift bodyguard for Russian shadow tankers operating close to Britain, in a bid to prevent them being boarded. It comes amid rising concern about Russia's influence and the threat it poses in British waters, after it emerged Moscow submarines had carried out a secret operation targeting underseas cables for longer than a month. The 121.7m long PM82 is capable of carrying 280 tonnes of equipment and can repair other ships. It is thought it could have been a base for security officers who, if necessary, could have blocked British troops from boarding tankers or risked them becoming involved in a firefight.  James Droxford, a former navy and Intelligence Agency officer and consultant, suggested the ship could have chosen its location near to the windfarm in order to concern authorities while hiding its true purpose. A Russian navy ship spotted near the British coast could be trying to prevent the seizure of Moscow-linked oil tankers by the UK's special forces, a security expert has claimed (Pictured: Royal Navy ships track a Russia-linked tanker) A naval supply and repair vessel, known as PM82 (pictured), spent 18 hours loitering off the Sussex coast on Monday He told the Times: 'The Russian navy does not have enough warships to provide a 24/7 traditional "convoy escort" system to its sanctioned merchant vessels, whilst simultaneously conducting its standard military tasking such as home-waters security, training cycles and regional engagement duties. 'Therefore, using a forward-deployed static base and moving armed security teams to those sanctioned merchantmen that need protection is a pragmatic operational solution to deter boarding by other state entities.' He added: 'The UK’s threat to board Russian sanction-breaking vessels may have been stymied by President Putin and the timely deployment of a single naval auxiliary vessel.' Earlier this month Russian warship Admiral Grigorovich was seen accompanying two shadow fleet vessels past Britain's south coast.  The government said last month that Britain was ready to start intercepting members of Putin's shadow fleet as they pass through the English Channel, but no ships have yet been boarded. Other countries, including the US, France and Germany, have previously seized Russia-linked tankers. As PM82 sat in British waters on Monday, an RAF Poseidon circled over it, flight tracking data shows, while a navy helicopter is also said to have flown overhead.  The latest security scare comes days after it emerged that Russian submarines had been involved in an operation targeting energy and data underwater cables in British waters.  As PM82 sat in British waters on Monday, an RAF Poseidon circled over it, flight tracking data shows Defence Secretary John Healey said a nuclear-powered attack submarine and two spy submarines had been spotted in the North Atlantic, with a warship and aircraft deployed in response. Sonar buoys - which track underwater movements using acoustic signals - were dropped into the water to deter the Russians from targeting the cables, which carry vast amounts of valuable data. Aided by allies including Norway, Britain deployed 500 personnel onboard a warship and Royal Air Force P8 aircraft, which flew for more than 450 hours before the Russian subs retreated. Addressing the Russian President, Mr Healey said: 'We see your activity over our cables and our pipelines, and you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences.' The submarines had been within the UK's exclusive economic zone, which extends up to 200 nautical miles – about 230 miles – offshore, but not within Britain's territorial waters, within 12 nautical miles (13.8 miles) from the coast, the Defence Secretary said. The operation lasted more than a month, but no damage to the cables was sustained, he confirmed.  And yesterday two British Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled over fears that a Russian warplane was approaching British airspace. While it remained outside, the jets flew from RAF Lossiemouth, in Scotland, along with a Voyager refuelling jet from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, towards Shetland and were tracked circling nearby. And in November, a Russian spy ship was identified lurking in British waters attempted to jam a Royal Navy frigate's GPS. The research vessel Yantar had been spotted lurking north of Scotland and attempted to blind RAF pilots using military-grade lasers. The lasers were directed at the pilots of RAF P-8 Poseidons, long-range reconnaissance aircraft that were sent with HMS Somerset to track the Yantar. Healey said it constituted a 'deeply dangerous' provocation and the first time a Russian crew had used lasers against UK forces. They also attempted to disrupt the GPS on HMS Somerset. The Ministry of Defence has been contacted for comment.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. 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