France detains Russian ‘shadow’ tanker to disrupt war in Ukraine

By putting its captain on trial and detaining an oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” France has stated that it is putting more pressure on Russia to stop its invasion of Ukraine.

At a recent EU summit in Copenhagen on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the French government’s detention of the tanker is a part of a new European strategy to halt Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.

Macron said, “We want to put more pressure on Russia to persuade it to come back to the table for negotiations.” When we have suspicious ships in our waters who are involved in this trafficking, we have now made the decision to go one step further and implement a policy of obstruction.

The Boracay tanker, which was off the Danish coast last week, was cited by European naval experts as having engaged in drone operations over the nation. The Copenhagen airport was closed last week due to a&nbsp, a series of drone incidents close to the nation’s airports and military bases, and it has experienced significant disruption.

Macron said he had no idea whether the vessel and the drone incursions were connected, but that he could not establish a connection. Russia has denied any involvement.

On Saturday, commandos from the French Navy launched a raid on western France’s Boracay.

According to Stéphane Kellenberger, the prosecutor of the western port city of Brest, an investigation led to the conclusion that the ship, which was headed from Russia to India with a “large oil shipment,” was not flying a flag.

Ships must fly flags at sea and declare themselves to be under the flag of the nation that they have been given nationality under strict guidelines from the UN.

In February, the ship’s captain, a Chinese national, will be tried in France. He faces up to one year in prison and a 150, 000 euro ($176, 000) fine if convicted.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, responded by saying that France’s actions constitute “piracy” and that Europe is to blame for igniting “hysteria.”

“This is piracy,” the statement read. At a forum on foreign policy in the southern resort city of Sochi on Thursday, Putin stated that he was aware of the situation, noting that there was no military cargo aboard the tanker.

How do you deal with pirates, and is that what you call piracy? . . said Putin. You sabotage them, “. The risk of conflict will undoubtedly grow significantly, but it doesn’t mean tomorrow that a war will break out across the world ocean.

Russia has been accused of operating a “shadow fleet” of tankers sailed under flags from nonsanctioning nations and made of old ships that have been used before, frequently by opaque entities with addresses in non-sanctioning nations. Their goal is to assist Russia’s oil exporters in breaking the $60 per barrel capimposed by its allies.

According to Macron, “30 to 40%” of Russia’s war effort is “financed by the shadow fleet’s revenues.”