French Detention of Russian Tanker Signals New European Strategy to Disrupt War in Ukraine
France has taken a decisive step in its efforts to pressure Russia into ending its invasion of Ukraine by detaining an oil tanker suspected of operating as part of Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet” and putting its captain on trial. The move is seen as part of a new European strategy to block revenue funding Moscow’s war effort.
The tanker, called the Boracay, was sailing last week off the coast of Denmark and was cited by European naval experts as possibly being involved in drone flights over the country. A series of drone incidents near the country’s airports and military bases over the last week forced the closure of the Copenhagen airport, causing major disruptions.
Investigation Reveals Lack of Flag and Suspicious Cargo
An investigation led by the French navy concluded that the ship was flying no flag, Stéphane Kellenberger, prosecutor of the western port city of Brest, said. The United Nations has detailed rules governing how ships must fly flags at sea and identify themselves under the flag of the state granting them nationality.
The ship’s captain, a Chinese national, will stand trial in France in February. He faces up to one year in prison and a 150,000 euro ($176,000) fine if convicted.
Putin Accuses Europe of Stoking “Hysteria”
In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Europe of stoking “hysteria” and called France’s actions an act of “piracy”. This is piracy. I am aware of this case – the tanker was seized in neutral waters without any justification,” Putin said on Thursday at a foreign policy forum in the southern resort city of Sochi, adding that there was no military cargo on the vessel.
“It’s piracy, and how do you deal with pirates?” Putin said. “You destroy them. It doesn’t mean that tomorrow a war will erupt all across the global ocean, but certainly the risk of confrontation will seriously increase.”
Macron Calls for Increased Pressure on Russia
French President Emmanuel Macron said at an EU event in Copenhagen on Thursday that France wants to increase pressure on Russia to convince it to return to the negotiating table. “We have now decided to take a step further by moving towards a policy of obstruction when we have suspicious ships in our waters that are involved in this trafficking,” he said.
Macron also emphasized the importance of disrupting Russia’s war effort, stating that “30 to 40 percent” of Russia’s war effort is “financed through the revenues of the shadow fleet”. “It represents more than 30 billion euros. So it’s extremely important to increase the pressure on this shadow fleet, because it will clearly reduce the capacity to finance this war effort for Russia,” he said.
The detention of the Boracay tanker and the trial of its captain are seen as a significant step in France’s efforts to disrupt Russia’s war effort and put pressure on Moscow to end its invasion of Ukraine.
Original Article: France detains Russian ‘shadow’ tanker to disrupt war in Ukraine — Aljazeera