Emmanuel Macron says Britain and France have intercepted a suspected Russian oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean.

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Emmanuel Macron said Britain and France have seized a Russian tanker suspected of flying a false flag during a joint transatlantic operation.

French naval personnel were seen boarding the ship, called Tagor, in a video shared by the French president on Monday morning.

President Macron said the operation was carried out on the high seas “with the support of several partners, including the United Kingdom.”

A French naval officer observes a licensed oil tanker sailing in the Atlantic Ocean (Reuters)

“The French Navy yesterday morning intercepted the new tanker Tagor, which had departed from Russia under international sanctions. Our resolve is steadfast and unwavering,” he wrote to X.

“This operation was carried out in the Atlantic Ocean, on the high seas, with the support of several partners, including the UK, in strict compliance with the laws of the sea.

“It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate maritime law and finance the war Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years.

“These vessels that do not comply with the most basic rules of maritime navigation pose a threat to the environment and the safety of everyone.”

French authorities, the Maritime Prefecture of the Atlantic, said in a separate statement that the French navy had intervened on the tanker more than 400 nautical miles west of the tip of Brittany.

Naval officers approaching the ‘Tagore’ (Reuters)

It said the ship was coming from the port of Murmansk in northwestern Russia and was suspected of flying under a false flag.

“The operation was aimed at verifying the nationality of a vessel suspected of flying a counterfeit flag. After the inspection team boarded the vessel, a review of documents confirmed suspicions about irregularities in the flag. In accordance with international law and at the request of the prosecution, the vessel was diverted,” he added.

Both Britain and France have vowed to disrupt ships linked to Russia’s authorized shadow fleet transiting their waters.

Sir Keir Starmer announced earlier this year that Royal Marine commandos would be able to board and stop Moscow’s Shadow Fleet ships transporting oil to support the war in Ukraine through British waters.

The British government insisted it was taking a hard line on shadow tankers after declassifying reports earlier this year that Britain had tracked three Russian submarines that had been roaming over vital undersea infrastructure in the North Atlantic for a month before retreating.

Defense Secretary John Healey warned then-Russian President Vladimir Putin, “You need to know that we are looking at your activities on cables and pipelines and that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences.”

However, shipping data shows that dozens of authorized vessels linked to Russia continue to cross UK waters and none have been intercepted by the Royal Navy so far.

A MoD spokesman said: “We can confirm that helicopters from HMS Somerset provided tracking and monitoring in support of the French operation to board the tanker Tagor.”

“Together with our allies, we are strengthening our response to shadow vessels to block the funding that facilitates President Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”

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