French Navy Intercepts Russian Oil Tanker in Atlantic with UK Support Amid Sanctions Enforcement Efforts

PARIS — The French Navy, with support from the United Kingdom, has intercepted an oil tanker under international sanctions that was traveling from Russia, marking the latest action by Western nations aimed at curbing Russian oil exports believed to be funding the ongoing war in Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday via a post on X that the tanker Tagor was boarded on Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean. He shared a video showing a naval operation in which a person descends from a helicopter onto the vessel. The interception is part of a series of French naval operations targeting tankers suspected of links to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet.”

Macron described such activities as unacceptable, stating that vessels circumventing international sanctions, violating maritime law, and contributing to the financing of Russia’s war in Ukraine pose serious risks. He further emphasized that such ships, which allegedly fail to comply with basic maritime regulations, also threaten environmental and maritime security.

Oil exports remain a crucial source of revenue for Russia, enabling the country to sustain its military operations in Ukraine while maintaining relative economic stability. Western governments have accused Moscow of deploying a network of hundreds of vessels to evade sanctions imposed in response to the conflict.

In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned the French action, stating that Russia “considers such actions illegal” and arguing that they “border on piracy,” while rejecting claims that they comply with international law.

According to French maritime authorities, the tanker was intercepted more than 400 nautical miles west of France in international waters. The vessel had reportedly departed from the northwestern Russian port of Murmansk. Officials suspect it was operating under a false flag, and the French Navy is currently escorting it to an anchorage for further inspection.

France has previously carried out similar operations, including the boarding of the tanker Deyna in the Mediterranean Sea in March. Another vessel, the Grinch, was intercepted in January and later released in February after paying a multimillion-euro penalty.