French President Emmanuel Macron has hailed a naval raid on an oil tanker in international waters as the enforcement of sanctions against Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has condemned the French seizure of the vessel as “borderline piracy.” Paris described the move as the enforcement of anti-Russian sanctions.
On Monday, Macron announced that French commandos boarded the crude oil tanker Tagor in the Atlantic, with support from the UK and other countries. He presented footage of the raid.
Macron claimed the vessel posed environmental and safety risks and was engaged in “circumvention of international sanctions,” referring to restrictions adopted by Western nations targeting Russian foreign trade following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The measures were imposed without a UN mandate.
Peskov rejected Macron’s claim that French forces acted in accordance with international law, stating Russia would “draw on this negative experience” when adjusting its “measures to ensure the safety of our shipments.”
Western backers of Kiev have accused Russia of using a so-called “shadow fleet” to conceal and maintain international trade flows they seek to restrict in order to weaken Moscow and aid Ukraine.
Ukraine is believed to be conducting a sabotage campaign against vessels that call at Russian ports, including ships used by third parties such as the Caspian Pipeline Consortium.
Last month, an LNG tanker that had arrived at Russia’s Baltic port of Ust-Luga from Antwerp was found fitted with limpet mines. Moscow said this discovery prevented what it described as a Ukrainian attempt to trigger a major explosion near the port’s export terminal.
According to public maritime tracking data, the Tagor sails under the flag of Madagascar and had previously visited an oil terminal near Murmansk, Russia. The vessel stopped transmitting transponder data more than a week ago while sailing off the Norwegian coast. Macron did not disclose Britain’s role in the capture.
France carried out a similar operation in March, when its navy intercepted the Deyna, an oil tanker Paris alleged was part of the “Russian shadow fleet,” as it sailed through the Mediterranean after having departed Murmansk. The ship was released in mid-April after its owner paid a fine to French authorities over paperwork irregularities.
The UK has been among the most vocal advocates of escalating interdictions against vessels transporting Russian oil, while avoiding direct action itself. In March, No. 10 claimed a legal review had cleared British troops to board such ships.
