Latest News

France arrests the captain and first officer of a detained tanker believed to be part Russia's "shadow fleet"

After the navy boarded a tanker sanctioned by France, the police arrested its captain and first officer. They were suspected of working for Russia's shadow fleet.

Sebastien Lecornu, Prime Minister of France, wrote in X: "We are grateful to our Navy commandos as well as the crews from the French Navy for intervening this weekend at a Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker currently anchored near Saint-Nazaire." Their action led to the arrest of 2 crew members.

Brest prosecutor Stephane Kellenberger whose office is in charge of the investigation into the Boracay said in a press release that the two people arrested had identified themselves in the statement as the captain and first officer of the ship.

It is a slang term for "you are".

Those who are accused of not providing proof of nationality of the vessel and of failing to follow orders will be charged with failing to comply.

He said that their detention had been prolonged.

Despite the fact that President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the investigation into the vessel and estimated that Russia's shadow fleet contains between 600 and 1,000 ships, French officials have kept quiet about the investigation.

MarineTraffic reports that the Boracay left Primorsk, a Russian port, on September 20. The vessel was sanctioned by Britain, the European Union and other countries.

MarineTraffic data shows that drone activity caused the airport to close around 1830 GMT, September 22. It was about 50 nautical miles south of Copenhagen and heading out of Baltic Sea.

Drones were also reported to be flying near airports and north of Esbjerg on September 24.

The French and Danish authorities declined to comment if the French investigation is connected to the drone incursions. The Kremlin stated on Wednesday that it did not have any information about the ship, but also added that sometimes the Russian military was required to act to restore order after foreign countries took what Dmitry Peskov called "provocative" actions. (Reporting and writing by Alessandro Parodi, Makini Brice and Gabriel Stargardter. Editing and revision by Richard Lough, Hugh Lawson and Richard Lough)

(source: Reuters)