The French authorities did not notify the Russian Embassy in Paris of the detention of a tanker traveling from Murmansk. Diplomats are investigating whether there are Russian citizens among the crew. This was reported by the Russian Embassy to TASS.
"The French authorities did not inform the Russian Embassy about the detention of the tanker or the composition of its crew. We are currently working with diplomats from the Consulate General in Marseille to establish whether there are Russian citizens among the crew in order to provide the necessary assistance," the diplomatic mission reported.
We recall that the French naval forces detained a Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea, which falls under the scope of international sanctions against Moscow. This was announced by French President Emmanuel Macron in X.
According to Macron, the operation was carried out early this morning, with the detained vessel traveling from Russia and probably using the flag of a third country to circumvent the sanctions regime. The French head of state specified that France received assistance from "several allies" in the operation, without giving further details about their participation or the tanker's route.
Macron stressed that the activities of the so-called "shadow fleet" - a network of tankers used to transport Russian energy resources outside official channels - contribute to the financing of Russia's war against Ukraine. The detention of the ship, he said, is part of efforts by Paris and its partners to strictly enforce sanctions and limit the revenues that support Russia's military campaign.
The French authorities have not yet announced any further legal action against the detained tanker.
France has already detained a similar tanker at the end of September last year near the city of Brest on the Atlantic coast, but released it a few days later without explaining the reasons for both its detention and its release.