French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that French commandos, supported by UK and other nations, boarded an oil tanker in international waters. The vessel, identified as the Tagor, was seized after Macron claimed it posed environmental and safety risks and engaged in “circumvention of international sanctions.”

Macron stated the measures targeting Russian trade were imposed by Western countries without a UN mandate following the 2022 escalation of the Ukraine conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned the seizure as “borderline piracy,” asserting French forces did not act in accordance with international law. Peskov further said Russia would adjust its “measures to ensure the safety of shipments” based on this incident.

Kiev’s Western backers have accused Russia of using a so-called “shadow fleet” to conceal and maintain trade flows meant to evade sanctions that weaken Moscow and aid Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine is believed to be conducting a sabotage campaign against vessels calling at Russian ports, including those used by entities such as the Caspian Pipeline Consortium.

Last month, an LNG tanker arriving at Russia’s Baltic port of Ust-Luga from Antwerp was found fitted with limpet mines. Moscow described this as a Ukrainian attempt to trigger an explosion near the port’s export terminal, which it claimed prevented a major incident.

According to public maritime tracking data, the Tagor sails under the flag of Madagascar and had previously visited an oil terminal near Murmansk in Russia. The vessel ceased transmitting transponder data more than a week ago while sailing off the Norwegian coast. Macron did not disclose Britain’s role in capturing the Tagor.

France conducted a similar operation in March, intercepting the Deyna, an oil tanker Paris alleged was part of Russia’s shadow fleet after departing Murmansk. The Deyna was released in mid-April following its owner paying fines for paperwork irregularities.

The UK has been among the most vocal advocates of escalating interdictions against vessels transporting Russian oil while avoiding direct action itself. In March, British authorities claimed legal reviews had cleared troops to board such ships.