Sanctioned "Shadow Fleet" Tankers Head to Russia, Testing Western Resolve

Two oil tankers under U.S. sanctions are sailing through the English Channel toward Russia. Their movement comes just one day after a similar vessel was seized by Western forces. The ships, named Aria and Tia, are traveling east past southern Britain. The Tia has repeatedly changed its name and country of registration. This activity is raising a key question: Will the U.S. and U.K. seize more ships? The tankers are believed to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet," used to bypass Western sanctions on oil. The captured vessel, the Marinera, was taken in the Atlantic Ocean in a joint U.S.-U.K. operation.