French soldiers have boarded an oil tanker believed to be part of Russia's shadow fleet, used to evade sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine. The Boracay left Russia last month and was off the coast of Denmark when unidentified drones forced the temporary closure of several airports last week. It has been anchored off western France for a few days.
President Emmanuel Macron said the crew had committed serious offences at an EU leaders' summit in Copenhagen on Wednesday but did not elaborate. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia had no knowledge of the vessel. The French military reportedly boarded the vessel on Saturday.
Macron refrained from commenting on whether the ship was connected to the drone flights that disrupted Denmark last week. Meanwhile, Breton prosecutors have initiated an investigation concerning the ship's nationality.
In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many Western nations sanctioned Russian energy via import limitations and price caps on oil. To evade these sanctions, Moscow has developed a shadow fleet of tankers whose ownership and operations are obscured. Macron noted that this fleet constitutes between 600 and 1,000 ships.
The Boracay, also known as Pushpa and Kiwala, is registered under the Benin flag but was listed in UK and EU sanctions against Russia. It was previously detained by Estonian authorities for sailing without a valid flag and had embarked from the Russian port of Primorsk on September 20.
Following its journey through the Baltic Sea and past Denmark, the vessel altered its course towards the French coast under the watch of a French warship, instead of continuing to its scheduled destination in India. Amid recent drone incidents over Denmark, EU leaders have been meeting to strengthen defense strategies against potential hybrid attacks linked to Russia.
President Emmanuel Macron said the crew had committed serious offences at an EU leaders' summit in Copenhagen on Wednesday but did not elaborate. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia had no knowledge of the vessel. The French military reportedly boarded the vessel on Saturday.
Macron refrained from commenting on whether the ship was connected to the drone flights that disrupted Denmark last week. Meanwhile, Breton prosecutors have initiated an investigation concerning the ship's nationality.
In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many Western nations sanctioned Russian energy via import limitations and price caps on oil. To evade these sanctions, Moscow has developed a shadow fleet of tankers whose ownership and operations are obscured. Macron noted that this fleet constitutes between 600 and 1,000 ships.
The Boracay, also known as Pushpa and Kiwala, is registered under the Benin flag but was listed in UK and EU sanctions against Russia. It was previously detained by Estonian authorities for sailing without a valid flag and had embarked from the Russian port of Primorsk on September 20.
Following its journey through the Baltic Sea and past Denmark, the vessel altered its course towards the French coast under the watch of a French warship, instead of continuing to its scheduled destination in India. Amid recent drone incidents over Denmark, EU leaders have been meeting to strengthen defense strategies against potential hybrid attacks linked to Russia.
