Hundreds of Russian shadow tankers trigger military alarm transiting NATO waters: report
Russian-operated shadow tankers carrying millions of dollars in sanctioned oil are transiting the English Channel, raising warnings of a potential military confrontation in NATO waters, according to reports.
The movements came amid heightened tensions between Russia and NATO, with the Royal Navy stepping up surveillance of U.S.- and allied-sanctioned vessels in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Sky News reported Wednesday that as many as 800 shadow tankers had passed through the channel, and continue to bankroll Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Several Russia-linked oil tankers — including the Rigel, Hyperion and Kousai — have been tracked by VesselFinder and are known to be under Western sanctions.
The outlet reported that three of the vessels were monitored this month as they transited loaded with sanctioned crude.
The Rigel, an 885-foot Suezmax-class tanker sailing under a Cameroonian flag, left the Russian port of Primorsk on Feb. 2, with up to one million barrels of oil, a cargo valued at around $55 million.
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Sanctioned by the U.K., the EU and Canada, it is barred from using port facilities in those jurisdictions but is still permitted “innocent passage” under maritime law.
The Kousai, sailing under a Sierra Leonean flag, left Ust-Luga on Feb. 2 and was warned by authorities to provide proof of insurance within 24 hours.
The Hyperion, also sanctioned by the U.S., switched flags after delivering oil to Venezuela, to obscure ownership and evade enforcement, according to reports.
Security experts warned of an increased risk of geopolitical escalation in the region.
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Professor Michael Clarke told Sky News that there may come a point when Britain and its allies “get much tougher with these Russian ships,” adding that a “militarized confrontation at sea” this year is a real possibility, in the Channel or the North Sea.
A U.K. Ministry of Defense (MoD) spokesperson said: “Deterring, disrupting and degrading the Russian shadow fleet is a priority for this government.
“Alongside our allies, we are stepping up our response to shadow vessels — and as the Secretary of State set out, we will continue to do so,” the spokesperson said.
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The MoD said it has requested proof of insurance from more than 600 suspected vessels since October 2024.
The U.S. has also taken a firm stance, seizing at least seven tankers linked to sanctioned oil trades since December 2025, including several in the Caribbean.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy: Russia trying ‘to play’ game with Trump, stall peace talks
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia is trying “to play with the president of the United States” and stalling U.S.-brokered efforts to end the war.
In an interview with Fox News in Kyiv, Zelenskyy pushed back on suggestions from President Trump that Ukraine is holding up the peace process.
“We always supported peace,” Zelenskyy said. “When you are at your home, in your house, on your territory, in your city, of course you want to stop it.”
Instead, Zelenskyy charged that Russia is attempting to drag out discussions to avoid making concessions.
“They try to play with the president of the United States,” he said.
Asked by Fox News if he thinks Vladimir Putin is playing a game, Zelenskyy replied, “Yeah, I think so. Yeah. He needs to postpone any kind of negotiations.”
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to freeze the conflict along its current lines, proposing a ceasefire followed by negotiations. But he said he would not accept a Russian demand for Ukraine to surrender territory the Russian army has not been able to capture in four years of fighting.
Fox News spoke with Zelenskyy at his offices in Kyiv, a heavily guarded complex where the lights are dimmed and sandbags dot the corridors. Among the grand marble staircases and high ceilings, walls are decorated with giant portraits of soldiers, standing some 12 feet tall.
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Speaking one day after the conflict entered its fifth year, Zelenskyy accepted that some in Ukraine are weary of war. But he said peace proposals so far are heavily tilted toward Russia’s demands.
“Everybody wants peace, and a lot of people are tired,” Zelenskyy said. “But believe me, not everybody is ready … to eat what Putin cooked for us.”
The Ukrainian leader urged President Trump to visit his country, saying, “He will see such a result of the attacks. And he will see how the nation really lives. Not just surviving.”
Despite massive losses, Zelenskyy hailed Ukraine’s fight.
“Russia couldn’t and can’t occupy us. They didn’t win, and for us, it’s a victory. We defended our independence and freedom,” he said.
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“They didn’t change the country. They didn’t change our flag.
“I’m sure that Russia recognized — really recognizes now — that it was a big mistake.”
Trump’s former Ukraine envoy criticizes US abstention on UN peace vote
President Donald Trump’s former Ukraine envoy on Tuesday criticized the United States for abstaining from a United Nations vote calling for a lasting peace in Ukraine, questioning whether four years of war and civilian suffering were not “enough.”
“A UN vote on a lasting peace in Ukraine and we abstained. Go figure,” Keith Kellogg wrote on X. “The Russian Federation was against the proclamation. Is not four years of war enough? Is not missing children, shelling of cities and the killing of innocents enough? It is not a business deal — it is war.”
Kellogg, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, left his role in the White House at the end of last year.
The U.N. General Assembly adopted the resolution titled, “Support for lasting peace in Ukraine,” that demands an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
The measure passed 107-12, with 51 countries abstaining, including the United States, while Russia, Belarus and Iran voted against it.
The resolution also calls for an exchange of prisoners of war and the return of civilians, including children, who were forcibly transferred or deported.
The White House on Wednesday referred Fox News Digital to a statement from the U.S. Mission to the United Nations following the vote.
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Ambassador Tammy Bruce, U.S. deputy representative to the United Nations, defended the abstention, saying Washington supports ending the war but objected to certain language in the resolution.
“The United States welcomes, of course, the call for an immediate ceasefire. As we’ve said, this resolution also includes language that is likely to distract from ongoing negotiations, rather than support discussion of the full range of diplomatic avenues that may pave the way to that durable peace,” Bruce said. “For this reason, the United States called for a vote on the two paragraphs and ultimately chose to abstain on the resolution.”
“What is needed now to end the war is political will. We believe we are closer to a deal than at any point since this war began. Let this be the last anniversary of an ongoing war that has continued for far too long and at far too great a cost,” she added. “Let’s end it now.”
Tuesday marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said during an event hosted by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy that Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, was expected to travel to Geneva on Thursday for talks with him and Jared Kushner.
The discussions are part of ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at reaching a negotiated settlement to end the war between Moscow and Kyiv.
Ukraine to meet Trump envoys ahead of high-stakes Geneva talks with Russia as war enters fifth year
Representatives from Ukraine and the U.S. are reportedly set to meet ahead of high-stakes trilateral talks in Geneva that will include Russian envoys. The report about the meeting comes just after the Russia-Ukraine war entered its fifth year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters about the Thursday U.S.-Ukraine meeting, The Associated Press reported. The Ukrainian leader reportedly said that Thursday’s meeting would focus on the possibility of post-war recovery for Ukraine as well as preparations for an upcoming trilateral meeting with Russia, according to the AP.
The meeting is expected to involve Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump‘s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to the AP, which cited Zelenskyy. Additionally, Umerov’s press secretary Diana Davytian told the AP that the meeting would take place in Geneva. The outlet noted that the Swiss city is also expected to be the site of U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations on the same day as the trilateral talks.
Zelenskyy said that he had tasked Umerov with discussing a possible prisoner exchange, the AP reported. He added that Ukraine would like the talks with Russia to take place next week.
The Trump administration’s push to end the years-long war has brought Russian and Ukrainian envoys to the table in both Abu Dhabi and Geneva, though the meetings have yet to produce a breakthrough for peace.
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Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on X that he had met with Zelenskyy and discussed “Ukraine’s security and deepening defense and economic partnerships.”
“President Trump wants a solution that ends the bloodshed once and for all,” Rubio wrote.
Additionally, last week, Zelenskyy said that he spoke with Witkoff and Kushner ahead of the trilateral meetings in Geneva, which he said the Ukrainian government expects to be “truly productive.”
“We also discussed some developments following the meetings in Abu Dhabi. Not everything can be shared over the phone, and our negotiating team will present Ukraine’s position next week. I also spoke about our meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. We greatly appreciate that America consistently maintains a constructive approach and is ready to assist in protecting lives,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “I thank President Trump, his team, and the people of the United States for their support.”
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On Tuesday, which was the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Zelenskyy stood firm, saying that Putin had not defeated Ukraine nor broken the country’s spirit. The statement came as Ukrainian forces made the biggest gains since 2024, according to the AP, which cited the Institute for the Study of War. The institute noted that Ukranian forces have pushed back on Russia’s army at points along the front line in eastern areas of the country.
The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
South African president thanks Putin after 17 men ‘lured’ to Russian front lines begin returning home
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin after 17 men who the government said were “lured” to Russian front lines in its war against Ukraine began returning home.
In a statement Tuesday, Ramaphosa’s office said the South African government, working closely with Russian authorities, secured the repatriation of the men after receiving distress calls requesting assistance.
The group, ranging in age from 20 to 39, was allegedly recruited into “mercenary activities.”
The circumstances surrounding their recruitment remain under investigation.
Ramaphosa expressed gratitude to Putin for responding positively to his request for help during a Feb. 10 phone call between the two leaders.
Four of the men have already returned to South Africa, while 11 are expected to arrive soon.
Two remain in Russia — one receiving treatment at a hospital in Moscow and another being processed before finalizing travel arrangements.
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South Africa’s embassy in Moscow is continuing to monitor the hospitalized individual until he is cleared to travel, according to Ramaphosa’s office.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, said in November that Kyiv estimates at least 1,436 foreign nationals from 36 African countries have been recruited to fight for Russia, warning the true number may be higher.
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Sybiha said Russia uses a range of tactics to recruit foreigners, including financial incentives, deception and coercion.
“Signing a contract is equivalent to signing a death sentence,” he wrote on X. “Foreign citizens in the Russian army have a sad fate. Most of them are immediately sent to the so-called ‘meat assaults,’ where they are quickly killed.”
Moscow rocked by apparent suicide bombing
An unidentified assailant detonated an explosive device next to a patrol vehicle in Moscow on Tuesday, killing himself and a police officer in an apparent suicide bombing, according to The Associated Press.
The outlet noted that, according to officials, the explosion also left two other officers injured.
The attack happened just after midnight on Tuesday near the Savyolovsky railway station in downtown Moscow, according to the AP, which cited Moscow’s branch of the Interior Ministry.
The AP also reported that Russia’s top investigative agency said the assailant was a 22-year-old man from Russia’s Udmurt Republic and that there was an ongoing probe regarding the motive behind the attack.
The attacker reportedly approached traffic police officers who were sitting in a patrol vehicle, The Moscow Times reported. The outlet noted, citing Russian state media agency TASS, that the targeted patrol car was heavily damaged but did not catch fire as a result of the attack.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin allegedly said at a meeting with top officials from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) that the young man was recruited online and was unknowingly given an explosive device that was then detonated remotely, according to the AP.
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The attack came just as Russia marked the fourth anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine. While the Trump administration has worked to broker a peace deal between the two sides, Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have yet to reach an agreement.
‘Delaying, stalling and blaming’: Russia shows little sign of compromise as war enters fifth year, expert says
Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war is grinding into a fifth year with no clear end in sight, despite renewed diplomatic efforts and a fresh push for a negotiated settlement.
Peace talks have accelerated since President Donald Trump returned to office, reviving direct and indirect channels between Moscow and Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this month that the United States is pushing for a peace agreement by June, with the Trump administration expected to apply pressure on both sides as U.S.-mediated talks continue following temporary pauses in energy infrastructure strikes and a series of recent prisoner exchanges.
But despite those steps, fighting has not slowed.
On the battlefield, Russian forces continue incremental, costly advances in eastern Ukraine, particularly in the contested Donetsk region.
The pace is far removed from the rapid territorial gains seen in the war’s early weeks, with progress now measured in foot-by-foot advances, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a non-partisan, public policy research organization that tracks the front lines.
At the same time, Ukraine has mounted counteroffensive operations on a tactical scale in the northeastern Kupyansk direction, reclaiming territory even as the Kremlin continues to portray steady forward momentum.
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Christina Harward, Russia deputy team lead at the ISW, said in an interview with Fox News Digital that Moscow’s public posture suggests little willingness to compromise, as officials continue to reiterate the same core demands outlined before the war began.
“What the Kremlin has been doing really consistently is delaying, stalling, and blaming anyone but Russia for this delaying and this stalling. We see them trying to dangle different carrots and also using sticks in order to try to influence President Trump and his administration to give in to the Russian demands,” she said.
Harward noted that Russia continues to press for control over the remaining Ukrainian-held areas of Donetsk, including the heavily fortified “fortress belt” cities that Kyiv has been building up since 2014.
Preparations for a potential spring or summer offensive, she explained, suggest Moscow is positioning for a prolonged war rather than moving toward an imminent peace.
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Beyond territorial disputes, negotiations remain entangled in broader security questions. Russia has rejected the prospect of Western security guarantees for postwar Ukraine and warned that foreign troops would be considered legitimate targets.
Kyiv and its European partners, meanwhile, contend that without meaningful guarantees, any ceasefire could simply provide Russia time to regroup and rearm.
Ret. Army Maj. Gen. Matt Smith told Fox News Digital he does not believe the latest round of diplomacy has brought the sides meaningfully closer to a deal, arguing that Russian President Vladimir Putin faces intense internal pressure that limits his ability to compromise.
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“The stakes are potentially much higher for him personally, in terms of life and limb in the most dramatic sense, but also in terms of his internal political power,” Smith said. “If he’s to compromise in any way, he has nothing to show for an extraordinary expense in lives, time, economics. You know, he’s paid a tremendous price.”
Russian forces have suffered approximately 1.2 million casualties (as many as 325,000 killed, with the rest being injured or missing) since February 2022, according to a January analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The report estimates that combined Russian and Ukrainian casualties could reach nearly 2 million by the spring of 2026 if current rates persist.
CSIS found that Russian forces have advanced at an average rate of between 15 and 70 meters per day, roughly 16 to 77 yards, in their most prominent offensives, slower than almost any major offensive campaign in any war in the last century.
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Gen. Smith likened the situation to the final years of the Vietnam War, saying the outcome on the battlefield may already be clearer than the politics surrounding it.
“The war’s already over,” he told Fox News Digital. “People just haven’t stopped dying yet. He [Putin’s] already lost. The question is, how do you get him to admit it?”