France Boards Tanker Tied to Russian Oil Trade

France’s navy boarded another oil tanker on the high seas after it sailed from Russia, the latest move in a global crackdown on shadow-fleet vessels used to export sanctioned crude.

The operation, similar to others carried out in recent months, took place Sunday morning in the Atlantic Ocean with the support of France’s allies, including the UK, French President Emmanuel Macron said on X. The vessel — the Tagor — is subject to international sanctions. 

The Tagor, which is suspected of harboring a false flag, came from Murmansk, Russia, and is now being escorted by the navy for further checks, the French maritime prefecture said in a separate statement.

“It is unacceptable that ships are circumventing international sanctions, violating the law of the sea, and financing the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four year,” Macron said.  

Russia denounced the move.

“We consider such actions illegal; they border on international piracy,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Interfax news service. Russia will take continue to take measures to ensure the safety of its cargo, he added.

Sunday’s capture adds to a growing list of legal actions taken against tankers suspected of illicitly moving Russian oil. 

In March, a ship called Deyna was stopped in the Mediterranean. Earlier this year, the “Grinch” was also boarded in the Mediterranean on suspicion of flying a false flag. A similar case occurred last year, when the tanker Boracay was boarded off France’s Atlantic coast for failing to provide proof of its nationality and flag. 

The US, UK and European Union have sanctioned hundreds of tankers for helping Russia export oil to fund its war in Ukraine. However, so far Russian oil has mostly continued to flow. 

La Marine nationale a arraisonné hier matin un nouveau pétrolier sous sanctions internationales en provenance de Russie : le Tagor. Notre détermination est constante et totale.

Cette intervention a été effectuée en Atlantique, en haute mer,… pic.twitter.com/zxEslYjbUE

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 1, 2026