The United Kingdom has been unable to retrieve its weapons from floating armories offering weapons and accommodation for guards defending Russian oil tankers, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 5.
As Russia’s oil exports increased to India following EU sanctions, so did the number of its vessels traveling through the dangerous Suez Canal and Red Sea, driving up demand for armed guards who temporarily travel on the ships until they pass the dangerous zone.
The guards use the floating armories for weapons storage and accommodation, Bloomberg explains.
As sanctions ramped up, the U.K. withdrew the permits for these vessels, but the weapons stored on them were not returned to a licensed depot, the outlet writes.
The vessels serving as armories were transferred to a Singapore-based company, remaining in use by the security firms providing their services, using British weapons to protect sanctioned Russian oil exports from pirates.
Since the change of domicile by the companies owning the vessels, the U.K. has been unable to determine where the weapons are and been unable to retrieve them, Bloomberg reported, citing an undisclosed source familiar with the matter.
Fossil fuel exports are one of the key sources of revenue for Russia's federal budget, helping to sustain Moscow's all-out war against Ukraine.
While the Western countries have imposed massive sanctions against the Russian economy since the outbreak of the all-out war in 2022, Moscow has managed to avoid many restrictions through intermediaries and shell companies.
Russia is also aided in sanctions evasion through its allies, including China, Iran, and North Korea.
Igor Kossov
