France seized a sanctioned Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday, escalating its efforts to crack down on Russia’s financing of its war in Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the seizure in a post on X, along with a picture of a military helicopter hovering above a ship. He said the vessel was suspected of flying a false flag to divert attention.
“This operation was carried out on the high seas, in the Mediterranean, with the support of several of our allies,” Macron said. “It was conducted in full compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
“A judicial investigation has been opened. The vessel has been diverted,” he added.
As Macron sent out the announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was speaking about the need to do that very thing at the World Economic Forum annual summit in Davos, Switzerland.
“Why can President Trump stop tankers from the shadow fleet and seize oil, but Europe doesn’t? Russian oil is being transported right along European shores,” Zelensky said. “That oil funds the war against Ukraine. That oil helps destabilize Europe. So Russian oil must be stopped and confiscated and sold for Europe’s benefit. Why not? If Putin has no money, there is no war for Europe. If Europe has money, then it can protect its people.”
He then went a step further, saying NATO should destroy all Russian oil tankers, with Ukraine happy to fulfill that role if it were made part of the alliance.
“We know what to do if Russian warships are sailing freely around Greenland, Ukraine can help,” Zelensky said. “We have the expertise and weapons to ensure not one of those ships remains. They can sink near Greenland, just as they do near Crimea. No problem.”
Zelensky responded to Macron’s announcement following his speech, saying, “This is exactly the kind of resolve needed to ensure that Russian oil no longer finances Russia’s war,” he said after he thanked France. “Russian tankers operating near European shores must be stopped. Sanctions against the entire infrastructure of the shadow fleet must be tough. Vessels must be apprehended. And wouldn’t it be fair to confiscate and sell the oil carried by these tankers?”
What Western leaders call Russia’s “shadow fleet” is its fleet of aged, largely uninsured oil tankers used to transport sanctioned oil to buyers around the world. Experts estimate that Russia, Iran, and Venezuela operate around 1,000 such vessels.
Crews of the tankers will use various sophisticated means to avoid detection, such as swapping identities with other ships, operating without their automatic identification systems turned on in violation of the International Maritime Organization requirement, or tricking their AIS into broadcasting a false location.
HOW TRUMP’S OIL TANKER SEIZURES ADD TO THE CRACKDOWN ON RUSSIAN ‘SHADOW FLEET’
The U.S. has seized seven shadow fleet tankers in Venezuelan waters since December as part of its pressure campaign against Venezuela.
Oil revenue remains a key part of Russia’s income, helping its economy stay afloat despite punishing sanctions from the Western world.