French Navy, aided by UK, intercepts Russian tanker
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- French Navy boarded the sanctioned Russian tanker Tagor on Sunday in the Atlantic, more than 400 nautical miles west of France.
- United Kingdom provided a helicopter that deployed a boarding team onto the ship, supporting the French operation.
- Tagor was intercepted traveling from Murmansk, Russia, and is suspected of sailing under a false flag, violating international sanctions.
- President Emmanuel Macron condemned the interception as illegal, a threat to the environment, and ordered the vessel to be escorted to an anchorage for further checks.
- Dmitry Peskov called the seizure illegal, likening it to piracy and rejecting its compliance with international law.
Why it matters: Ukraine gains by cutting off a revenue stream that funds Putin's war, while Russia loses a sanction‑busting vessel and faces tighter maritime enforcement, increasing costs for its shadow fleet.
