QuoteWe will let nothing pass': France intercepts Russia-linked oil tanker in Mediterranean
FRANCE
France's navy on Thursday intercepted an oil tanker suspected of belonging to Russia's sanctioned "shadow fleet" in the Mediterranean Sea. French President Emmanuel Macron said the operation, which took place between Spain and Morocco, was carried out with the help of several allies.
Issued on: 22/01/2026 - 16:24
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FRANCE 24
France's navy, with the help of allies, on Thursday boarded a tanker alleged to be from Russia's sanction-busting "shadow fleet" in the Mediterranean, President Emmanuel Macron said.
"This morning, the French Navy boarded and searched an oil tanker from Russia, subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag," he said on X.
"The operation was carried out on the high seas in the Mediterranean, with the support of several of our allies," he added, saying the vessel had been "diverted".
"We will let nothing pass," said Macron.
"The activities of the shadow fleet help finance the war of aggression against Ukraine," he added.
"This morning, the French Navy boarded and searched an oil tanker from Russia, subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag," Emmanuel Macron said on X.
Local maritime authorities said the navy seized an oil tanker called "Grinch" between Spain and Morocco.
"After the team boarded, an examination of documents confirmed the doubts as to the regularity of the flag," the Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture said.
The ship "is currently being escorted by the national navy to a point of anchorage for further verifications", it added.
"We are determined to uphold international law and to ensure the effective enforcement of sanctions," Macron said in a post about the interception, with a photo showing a French helicopter hovering over a ship.
Western countries have slapped sanctions on a number of oil tankers accused of transporting Russian oil in defiance of sanctions imposed by the US, EU and UK following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
QuoteLe président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky a salué jeudi l'interception par la marine française d'un pétrolier russe sanctionné en Méditerranée, affirmant qu'une telle action était «exactement le genre de décision nécessaire» pour empêcher les revenus pétroliers russes de financer la guerre en Ukraine.
«Les navires doivent être saisis. Et ne serait-il pas juste de confisquer et de vendre le pétrole transporté par ces pétroliers ?», a-t-il déclaré sur X.
Quote from: Syt on Today at 02:51:25 AMEither way, I assume they'll argue that the final deportation order is already judge-approved so an additional warrant is superfluous?
But on the sort of transnational level it does - we're in the same sphere, like Christendom or the ummah.Quote from: viper37 on Today at 10:43:41 AMThey're all 3*?
I thought there was a fuss because one AirForce general wasn't of the proper rank when nominated by Trump/Heggseth.
Quote from: grumbler on January 21, 2026, 10:17:10 PMThey're all 3*?Quote from: viper37 on January 21, 2026, 01:52:39 PMQuote from: Jacob on January 20, 2026, 03:36:50 PMRight now I'm feeling slightly less pessimistic than last night.He realized he can't just order 5* generals around to do whatever he wants.
[nitpick] There haven't been any 5-star American generals in Omar Bardley died in 1981. [/nitpick]![]()
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