Burc Eruygur
01 June 2026•Update: 01 June 2026
The Kremlin on Monday said France’s interception of a tanker under international sanctions traveling from Russia in the Atlantic Ocean is “illegal.”
“We consider such actions illegal and bordering on international piracy,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists at a press briefing in Moscow.
Peskov denied claims that the detention of ships sailing from Russia complies with international law.
Russia, he added, is taking a number of measures to ensure the safety of its cargo and will continue to take these measures, “taking into account the negative experience it has had.”
Earlier in the day, French President Emmanuel Macron said his country’s navy intercepted a sanctioned tanker traveling from Russia in the Atlantic Ocean, describing the move as part of efforts to enforce sanctions and uphold maritime law.
Macron said the French Navy's interception of the tanker, named the Tagor, on Sunday morning was conducted on the high seas with support from several partners, including the UK, and carried out “in strict compliance with the law of the sea.”
Paris, he added, remained fully committed to enforcing international sanctions, and it is “unacceptable that ships circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea and finance the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years.”
In a statement on the tanker's seizure, the Russian Embassy in France said it officially requested information from French authorities about the possible presence of Russian nationals among the crew members.
It noted that, according to initial information, the captain of the tanker is a Russian citizen, adding that the embassy has yet to receive a notification from French authorities regarding measures taken with regard to the vessel.
