Macron says that the oil tanker off France is linked to the Russian shadow fleet and committed “serious violations”

French President Emmanuel Macron He said on Wednesday that a freezing oil tanker off the coast of the French Atlantic Ocean had committed “very serious violations” and linked it Shadow Fleet in RussiaWhich avoids Western sanctions on Moscow war in Ukraine.

The carrier was sailing last week off the coast Denmark It was probably martyred by European Navy experts Driver flights throughout the country.

A military official said on Wednesday that the French naval forces boarded the ship a few days ago at the request of the prosecutors suspected of any violations. The Office of the Public Prosecutor in the West French city of Prest said that a judicial investigation was opened in the “Cooperation” refusal and “failure to justify the nationality of the ship.”

The military official said that the ship ordered the stay in a place awaiting more investigations. The French naval forces boarded the ship again on Wednesday to provide food and fuel for the crew on board, according to the official, who was publicly not allowed to discuss the ongoing investigation.

The ship left the Russian oil station in Primorsk near St. Petersburg on September 20, sailed off the coast of Denmark and remained outside the coast of the French western Saint Nazir port since Sunday, according to the Maritime Traffic Control site.

Macron suggested that he was stopped because of the “French authorities’ intervention,” saying: “I think it is good that this work has been done and that we were able to stop it.”

“There were some serious mistakes made by this crew, which is why legal procedures in the case,” Macron said on the sidelines of the European Union leaders in Copenhagen. He did not explain.

The Russian embassy in Paris did not respond to the Associated Press request for comment.

He was asked if the ship is connected to Done -aircraft accidents in Denmark Regarding reports that two people on board had been arrested, Danish Prime Minister Metty Friedrixen said that she would not comment on specific investigations.

But she added: “I can say in general phrases that we face a lot of problems with the shadow fleet. This is the case, especially in the Baltic Sea for a long time. We are working closely together to fight this situation.”

On Christmas 2024, Russian Shadow Fleet oil carrier is called ” Eagle It led to a warning at the level of the country in Finland after it was suspected that it was deliberately cut off by an electric cable under the surface of the sea, 50 miles on the coast. Investigation for seven months “60 minutes” investigation It revealed that the accident was It is not an isolated caseAnd that the Greater Russian Oil Company has hidden its ownership of the carrier behind the layers of Shell companies to evade Western sanctions.

After the accident, NATO launchedBalibi bayli“Publishing ships and aircraft to monitor the shadow fleet and protect the critical heat infrastructure. There have been no accidents to reduce cables since then, said British Admiral Keith Balont, Deputy Commander of the Supreme Allies in NATO, told CBS News.

Macron said that the last accident highlights the “existence and truth of the phenomenon that we describe and transmit it for a long time,” which is the “famous shade fleet”, which represents tens of billions of euros for the budget of Russia and the financing of 40 % of the Russian war effort.

The carrier known as “Pushpa” or “Boracay”, whose name changed several times, was sailing under the flag of Benin and appears in the list of ships targeting European Union sanctions against Russia.

The shadow fleet consists of the purchased aging tanks, and often by transparent entities with titles in the non -strong countries, and sailing under flags from the non -advanced countries. Their role is to help Russia oil exporters to get rid of the maximum prices imposed by Ukraine allies.

Last month, President Trump wrote on the social truth that he was “ready to hold major sanctions on Russia” provided that all NATO countries are Stop buying oil from Russia. After pressing from Mr. Trump, the European Union said it was so Consider a ban on Russian gas imports As part of a new package of penalties.