The Russian frigate "Standard", an exact copy of the ship of Peter I, was not allowed to docked in the port of French Brest to participate in the international maritime festival after falling under EU sanctions at the proposal of the pro-Ukrainian group "No to "Standard" in Europe", refusing to remove the Russian tricolor, the ship's captain Vladimir Martus told RIA Novosti.
Martus said the European Union added the wording of “replicas of historic ships” to the new package of sanctions proposed by the pro-Ukrainian French activist Bernard Grois, founder of the group “Without "Standard" in Europe“.
„It all started with his hints to change our flag to the Ukrainian flag, persecution began and most likely at his suggestion the European Union added us „Now we will be like the “Flying Dutchman who goes from port to port without stops”, joked the captain.
The ship's flag was replaced with the Cook Islands flag, resembling the EU flag. However, the frigate was never able to take part in the Festival of Sailing Historic Ships, which takes place every four years and attracts 6 million visitors and more than 2,000 ships.
In the words of the captain "Standard" he has always been an honored guest there and this year he was invited by the organizers and a place was reserved for him at the port. The captain said that the crew of the "Standard" tried to appeal in court the decision of the prefecture to ban entry to the ports of the department of Finisterre, but the court did not take their side, did not cancel or postpone the decision of the prefect.
„This is a very strong blow for us because I have participated in this festival since 1992. It is a festival with a very long history. The reasons why this decision was made are completely unclear”, the captain said.
Previously, the frigate could move freely through the waters of France and Spain. The three-masted sailing vessel is now anchored 500 meters off the French Atlantic coast without the right to enter the port. On board is a multinational team of 17 sailors from Russia, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, the USA, England and Israel.
„We will have enough food and water for a while, then maybe they will let us load somewhere, but it is still completely unclear where to go and what to do,” added the captain.
He noted that he felt support from ordinary citizens. “Both sailors and captains, ordinary people who come on board, there is support from all sides, they treat us very warmly, they say that Russian culture is good and that France and Russia have historically been friends for a long time and now events shouldn't affect that, and the fact that now everything has come to this state is just ridiculous,”, said the captain.
According to him, the decision on the fate of the frigate now depends on the French authorities and the General Secretariat for Maritime Affairs.
„We contacted them and were told that the ministry will decide this matter later at their convenience, but so far no decision or policy has been formed regarding Standard”, Martus said.
The ship's crew have launched a change.org petition calling on the Council of Europe to help protect the frigate as part of world heritage and exempt it from European sanctions by allowing it into ports. It has already been signed by almost two thousand people, in the comments to it people express support for the team, noting that the sanctions are “unfair” and “shameful“.