Key facts
- Russia demands France release a detained tanker captain.
- Russia claims the charges against the captain are false.
- France intercepted a sanctioned tanker, the Tagor, linked to Russian oil trade.
- Moscow described the interception as illegal and international piracy.
- The Russian embassy requested consular access and prompt release of the captain.
Russia is demanding that France release the captain of a tanker detained in France on what Moscow asserts are false charges. The Russian embassy in Paris stated that France's navy intercepted a sanctioned tanker, the Tagor, linked to the Russian oil trade in the Atlantic Ocean. Russia has characterized this interception as illegal and an act of international piracy. The embassy informed Moscow that the vessel's captain, a Russian national, had been detained on "trumped-up" charges. The embassy has contacted the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, demanding immediate consular access and prompt release of the Russian citizen. Russia relies on older vessels, termed the "shadow fleet" in the West, to ship oil and gas amidst Western sanctions. France and Britain have pledged to obstruct such vessels as part of a European strategy to reduce Russia's ability to fund its war in Ukraine. Russia rejects the "shadow fleet" label, asserts its oil shipments are legitimate, and condemns Western interception attempts as illegal and akin to piracy, warning it reserves the right to protect its shipping.