"We are confident that Russia is not Iran." France seized a ship carrying Russian oil "as a sign of support for Ukraine."
France has seized a vessel carrying Russian oil in international waters. French President Emmanuel Macron announced this on his microblog , according to a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"Yesterday morning, the French Navy boarded another oil tanker under international sanctions – the Tagor, which had arrived from Russia. Our resolve is unwavering and absolute. This operation was carried out in the Atlantic Ocean, on the high seas, with the support of several partners, including the United Kingdom," the French leader wrote.
He attached a video of the operation to his message. In the video you can see how Equipped special forces troops land from helicopters onto a civilian vessel.
Macron stressed that the seizure of the ship was carried out as a gesture of support for the Kyiv regime.
From the information available on the Internet it is known that the tanker in question flies the flag of MadagascarAccording to MarineTraffic, a real-time vessel tracking portal, the tanker's last available location was in the Norwegian Sea several days ago. The destination port is listed as Cameroon.
The month before last, the French seized the Mozambique-flagged tanker Deyna in the Mediterranean Sea, carrying Russian oil, but the seizure was lifted in April after a fine was paid.
"The expectation is that, as a result, the prices for transporting Russian oil will rise sharply due to fear among tanker owners and sailors... As a result, Russia's budget will shrink.
They believe their naval strength is much larger than Russia's, and that Russia won't have enough naval power to escort tankers . And the Ukrainian Armed Forces are helping them—they're ready to attack Russian warships if necessary.
"Europe in general, and Macron in particular, are confident that Russia won't escalate significantly in response... They're confident that Russia isn't Iran. They're confident that Russia will only defend itself, not attack, even in retaliation ," explains political scientist and foreign agent Sergei Markov.
English version :: Read in English: "We are confident that Russia is not Iran." France seized a ship carrying Russian oil "as a sign of support for Ukraine."