Russian oil tanker seized – Kremlin furious

TT

Published 12.04

 

France has seized a Russian oil tanker, according to President Emmanuel Macron. In the picture, he visits one of the French navy ships in southern France in 2022. Photo: Eric Gaillard/AP/TT

France has, together with allies, seized a Russian oil tanker that is on Western sanctions lists, President Emmanuel Macron announced.

The ship Tagor was reportedly stopped in international waters on Sunday morning. According to prosecutors in Brest, France, the ship's captain refused to follow the navy's orders and a criminal investigation has now been opened.

Russia is furious. The Kremlin calls the seizure illegal and equates it with "piracy".

- Russia is taking measures to secure the cargo, says spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

According to ship tracking services, Tagor was last week off the coast of Norway.

The EU's list of sanctioned Russian "shadow vessels" - ships believed to be used to circumvent sanctions on Russian oil exports - totals almost 600.