French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday (January 22, 2026) in a message on the social network X that the French Navy, in cooperation with allies, including information provided by Britain, had seized a Russian oil tanker in international waters in the Mediterranean.
The ship is subject to international sanctions and is suspected of using a false flag. According to reports, the ship was sailing under the flag of the Comoros Islands and its crew was Indian.
Macron stressed: “We are determined to ensure the effective implementation of sanctions. The activities of the Shadow Fleet help finance Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine. This operation was carried out in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and a judicial investigation has been launched.”
