Russia has asked France to release the tanker captain who was arrested on ‘false charges’.
The French Navy said that it had intercepted Tagor, a sanctioned tanker, in the Atlantic Ocean.
Paris instructed the Tagor to sail towards the French mainland, which Moscow called illegal and an act of piracy.
The Russian Embassy in France said that the French authorities informed Moscow that a Russian national, the captain of the vessel, has been detained on what Russia calls ‘false charges.’
The Embassy also issued a press release emphasising that it had contacted the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, demanding the immediate consular access for the Russian captain and his immediate release.
Faced with sanctions, Russia depends on old tankers, operating without proper documents or maintenance to ship its oil and gas across the world.
Experts have said that these ‘shadow fleet vessels’ pose great danger to the lives of the crew as well as the environment since they are not entirely seaworthy and could lead to an oil spill or explosion at sea.
In response to these statements, Russia has denied the shadow fleet label and said that its shipments are legitimate and compared acts of Western adversaries to pirate attacks to cripple its economy.
Moscow has also asserted its right to take measures it deems necessary to protect its ships and shipments after the U.K and France pledged to obstruct vessels carrying Russian oil to stop Russia from funding its war in Ukraine.
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