France has detained the tanker Deyna in the Mediterranean Sea, which, according to authorities, belongs to the so-called Russian shadow fleet. This was reported by the country's president, Emmanuel Macron.
Emmanuel Macron emphasized that France will continue to counteract sanctions evasion and support Ukraine, despite other conflicts.
The vessel was sailing under the Mozambican flag from Murmansk and raised suspicions of using a false flag. The operation to detain it took place with the participation of British partners.
This is already the second instance recently when tankers carrying Russian oil are detained in Europe, and the second such incident involving French naval forces since the beginning of the year.
Earlier, in January, France had already detained another tanker — Grinch, which was also suspected of violating sanctions and using a fictitious flag. The vessel was then detained with the help of allies, including the United Kingdom, which provided intelligence. The tanker's captain was arrested, and the ship itself was held for several weeks and was released only after paying a significant fine.
The Russian side, in turn, claimed that the detained vessels had no connection to Russia, and that information about their ties to Russian entities was unconfirmed.
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