Image: Screenshot from video – French President Emmanuel Macron on X
The French Navy has intercepted an oil tanker under international sanctions that was traveling from Russia, the most recent effort by nations that support Ukraine to target Russian oil exports.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the capture in a social media post on Monday, adding that it happened with support from several allies, including Britain.
Macron said the tanker was boarded by French naval forces in the Atlantic, in international waters, on Sunday morning.
Sharing footage of the operation on X, the French president said vessels evading international sanctions and maritime regulations posed both a security and environmental threat.
“It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and fund the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than 4 years,” Macron wrote.
“These vessels, which fail to adhere to the most basic rules of maritime navigation, also pose a threat to the environment and to everyone’s safety,” he added.
The post included a video showing a person rappelling from a helicopter onto a ship. It is the latest in a series of French naval interceptions of tankers suspected of links to Russia.
“This operation was carried out in the Atlantic, in international waters, with the support of several partners including the United Kingdom, in strict compliance with the law of the sea,” the Frensh president noted. “Our determination is steadfast and unwavering.”
The French government did not immediately provide further details about the vessel, including its ownership, cargo status or the legal measures that may follow the interception.
Responding to the latest French interception, Kremlin presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Russia “considers such actions illegal, as they amount to international piracy.”
The Russian government also rejected claims that the interception of vessels sailing from Russia complies with international law.
Moscow has previously called the seizure of tankers carrying its cargoes, an act of piracy. Peskov reiterated this on Monday when asked about the French-led action.
Western governments have long accused Russia of operating a so-called “shadow fleet” comprising hundreds of vessels used to bypass sanctions imposed after the war against Ukraine.
British prime minister Keir Starmer said in March that he had granted permission for the UK military to board ships belonging to the ‘shadow fleet.’
The UK, alongside its allies, imposed sanctions on approximately 544 ‘shadow fleet’ vessels – as of March 2026 – and is calling for increased coordination to disrupt their operations further.
