Vladimir Putin has a sent a frigate into the English Channel to guard a shadow fleet believed to be carrying weapons. 

The Admiral Grigorovich warship is escorting three Russian ships off the south coast in spite of Keir Starmer's threats to use force to seize sanctioned ships from Moscow.

The frigate is guarding the Sparta, the General Skobelev and the Akademik Pashin off the south coast.

The Sparta, a 415ft ship linked to military equipment transported to Syria, entered the Channel near Dover on Thursday morning and is said to be heading towards Port Said in Egypt.

It was sanctioned by the US in May 2022 after reportedly being part of a fleet of Russian vessels used to run supplies through the Bosphorus to Bashar al-Assad's Syria.

It was also used to evacuate Kremlin troops from Syria to Libya following the fall of the Syrian regime. 

Often described as a 'clandestine' network, Russia's 'shadow fleet' are in fact hiding in plain sight as they ferry millions of barrels of oil through the world's busiest shipping route in defiance of Western sanctions, embargoes and price caps.

Dozens of these ships pass through the Dover Strait every month, part of a 'shadow fleet' of up to 800 vessels that continue to fuel Vladimir Putin's four-year war on Ukraine.

Sir Keir has ordered the navy to 'go after' vessels in Putin's shadow fleet, which Moscow uses to export oil across the world. 

But on Monday it emerged Britain is failing to board and seize Russian 'shadow fleet' ships in the English Channel over fears about the cost of storing the vessels and asylum claims from the crews.

None have so far been boarded, despite several using the Channel since Sir Keir gave them the green light last month. 

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper have raised concerns about asylum claims by Russian mercenaries crewing the ships.

And fears have been voiced about the cost of mooring the seized vessels, with officials citing the cost to the Irish government of holding the drug-running ship MV Matthew.

The Panama-registered vessel was confiscated in September 2023 after it was boarded and 2.2 tonnes of cocaine worth €157million (£132m) was found in the hold.

But it has cost €14m (£12m) to maintain since then in Cork harbour ahead of plans to send it to be scrapped.

Earlier this month Sir Keir was criticised after the Royal Navy allowed a Russian warship to escort two shadow fleet vessels past Dover.

The frigate Admiral Grigorovich passed the coast with the 'senior service' only able to rustle up a support ship to watch them head for the Black Sea.

RFA Tideforce, an auxiliary tanker armed with only light defensive weapons, simply followed the three-ship flotilla past Dover without intervening.

Moscow's shadow fleet is reported to be made up of more than a thousand ageing tankers.

They illicitly ship oil and other goods out of Russia by flying the flags of other countries, with the aim of evading sanctions imposed by the West since the invasion of Ukraine began.

Finland, Sweden and Estonia have recently intercepted suspected shadow tankers travelling through the Baltic.

Announcing his plan to allow commando raids, Sir Keir said in March: '(Russian President Vladimir) Putin is rubbing his hands at the war in the Middle East because he thinks higher oil prices will let him line his pockets.

'That's why we're going after his shadow fleet even harder, not just keeping Britain safe but starving Putin's war machine of the dirty profits that fund his barbaric campaign in Ukraine.

'He and his cronies should be in no doubt, we will always defend our sovereignty and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.'

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has said the fact a Russian warship escorting shadow fleet tankers 'shows how vulnerable they now are'.

The Ministry of Defence was contacted for comment.