French Commandos Seize Putin’s ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker Off Sicily
French naval commandos seized another oil tanker from Russia‘s so-called “shadow fleet” in the Mediterranean Sea near Sicily, French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday. This is the fifth tanker seized by France since it launched an enforcement campaign against Russia’s shadow fleet in September.
The vessel, the Deliver, was boarded on Tuesday after allegedly violating maritime law. It sailed under a Cameroonian flag and had departed from Primorsk, Russia. The seizure comes about a week and a half after Britain carried out a similar operation near its territorial waters.
“This action against the shadow fleet, carried out just days after a similar British operation, demonstrates the determination of Europeans,” Macron said. “We will not allow the shadow fleet to circumvent sanctions and finance Russia‘s war effort. Europe is determined.”
The Shadow Fleet: A Network of Aging Tankers
The “shadow fleet” refers to a network of often aging tankers sailing under different flags and through opaque ownership structures to help Russia export oil despite Western sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine. Western estimates cited in the report say the fleet includes more than 700 tankers and is responsible for around 75% of Russian oil exports, providing what officials describe as a lifeline for the Kremlin.
Russia has repeatedly condemned such enforcement operations against the tankers, calling them piracy.
France’s Enforcement Campaign: A Series of Seizures
France has seized five tankers since September, according to AFP. Three of the previous four were later released, while two were required to pay fines. The exact amounts were not disclosed, but the French Foreign Ministry said one of the tankers paid “several million euros.” In April, France said it would double fines on ships for flying false flags or refusing to comply with orders.
Ukraine’s Drone Strikes: A Campaign Targeting Russian Fuel and Energy Infrastructure
Ukraine said Thursday it had struck an oil facility in Russia‘s Krasnodar region and two refineries in Ufa, around 1,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The strikes are part of a broader Ukrainian campaign targeting Russian fuel and energy infrastructure, with recent attacks also hitting oil depots and refineries and contributing to fuel shortages in parts of Russia, according to AP.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the deep strikes as “long-term sanctions,” saying they are intended to disrupt Russia‘s oil industry and increase internal pressure on Moscow to negotiate.
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