VLADIMIR Putin has sent naval ships and a submarine to escort a rogue Russian oil tanker causing chaos in the Atlantic, reports say.
The US sent special forces across to the UK to help hunt down the sanctioned vessel alongside British fighter jets after the tanker bypassed Donald Trump’s Venezuela blockade.
Russia is accused of sending a submarine and other naval assets to try and guard the suspicious tanker as it attempts to flee across the Atlantic, a US official told The Wall Street Journal.
Tensions over the ship – which Russia claims has nothing on board – come as US and UK forces closely monitor its route.
Tense footage taken by one of the Iran-linked boat’s crew, a US ship – believed to be a USCG Legend-Class cutter – can be seen carefully tailing behind and approaching.
Formerly called the Bella 1 but now rebranded as the Marinera, the tanker is accused of being part of the so-called “shadow fleet”, a group of boats that illegally ship oil.
These sanction-evading vessels help circumvent embargoes, allowing “Axis of Evil” dictators such as Nicolas Maduro and Putin to continue trading.
Now displaying a Russian flag, the ship has resurfaced in the North Atlantic 500 miles west of Ireland on its way to Putin’s regime.
In a defensive move, US cargo planes packed with Special Forces helicopters swooped into RAF Fairford to aid the hunt for the tanker.
Troops from America’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment – known as Nightstalkers – have brought Black Hawk and Chinook choppers to let soldiers fast rope onto the 1100ft vessel.
Three V-22 Ospreys from RAF Mildenhall have also joined the force.
These have tilting rotors to take off vertically like helicopters – but fly at greater speed and range like planes.
The Marinera has previously displayed Guyanese and Panamanian flags on different occasions but is originally from Iran.
It managed to slip away from Trump’s forces in the Caribbean last month.
But Washington is now looking to chase down the ship as it desperately attempts to flee.
RAF Typhoon jets and KC2 refuelling aircraft have also been seen operating near the tanker’s last known position.
Planespotters claimed that US Ospreys were seen practising fast-roping drills, while US P8 Poseidon naval spy planes have been keeping tabs on the tanker.
US and UK sources said troops were “staging” at Fairford ahead of a possible hostile boarding.