France has detained the ship "Deyna" in the Mediterranean Sea, which is part of the Russian shadow fleet.
This was reported by President Emmanuel Macron.
"These vessels, which circumvent international sanctions and violate maritime law, are military speculators. They seek to profit and finance Russian military actions. We will not allow this," he added.
According to Reuters, the tanker was sailing from Murmansk under the flag of Mozambique.
This is the second such interception in recent months — in January, France stopped the oil tanker Grinch between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco on suspicion that it was part of a Russian shadow fleet. The French navy also assisted Belgium in a similar operation earlier in March.
What is known about the Russian shadow fleet?
In early December 2022, the G7 members, as well as Australia and the EU, imposed price caps on Russian oil, setting a maximum price of $60 per barrel. In January 2026, the European Union reported a reduction in the price of Russian oil to $44.1 per barrel from February 1, 2026.
To circumvent oil sanctions, Russia has begun to form a shadow fleet. This is a fleet of old tankers that turn off their beacons so that they cannot be seen by surveillance systems. They are operated mostly by the Russian state company “Suchkomflot”. With its help, the Russian Federation transports an estimated 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, which brings large profits to the Kremlin.
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