French President Emmanuel Macron says vessel topic to worldwide sanctions, suspected of ‘flying false flag’.
Revealed On 22 Jan 2026
The French Navy has intercepted a tanker within the Mediterranean that officers allege belongs to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”, designed to evade international sanctions.
In a press release shared on social media on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned the oil tanker was “coming from Russia, topic to worldwide sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag”.
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“The operation was carried out on the excessive seas within the Mediterranean, with the assist of a number of of our allies. It was carried out in strict compliance with the United Nations Conference on the Regulation of the Sea,” Macron said.
He added that the vessel was diverted and that an investigation has been launched.
Native maritime authorities mentioned the navy seized an oil tanker known as “Grinch” between Spain and Morocco.
The interception comes because the European Union has imposed greater than a dozen sanctions packages towards Russia in response to the nation’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
However Moscow continues to promote thousands and thousands of barrels of oil to different international locations reminiscent of China and India, usually at discounted costs, regardless of the financial curbs.
A lot of the oil is carried by a “shadow fleet” of vessels working outdoors of the Western maritime business.
A November report from the Helsinki-based Centre for Analysis on Vitality and Clear Air discovered that more than 100 Russian vessels flew a false flag within the first 9 months of 2025, transporting about 11 million tonnes of oil valued at 4.7 billion euros ($5.5bn).
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked his French counterpart Macron for intercepting the vessel.
“That is precisely the sort of resolve wanted to make sure that Russian oil now not funds Russia’s struggle,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “Russian tankers working close to European shores should be stopped.”
The Russian embassy in France mentioned it was not notified concerning the interception, Russian information company TASS reported.
“In the mean time, along with diplomats from the Consulate Basic in Marseille, we’re looking for out whether or not there are any Russian residents among the many crew members with a view to present the required help,” the embassy mentioned.
