Russia ​is demanding that France release the captain of ‌a tanker detained in France on what ​it says are false ⁠charges, the Russian embassy in Paris said on Wednesday (June 3, 2026).

France’s Navy said on Monday (June 1, 2026) it had intercepted ‌a sanctioned tanker, the Tagor, linked to the Russian oil trade ‌in the Atlantic Ocean. Paris ordered ‌it ⁠to head to the French ⁠mainland, in a move Moscow said was illegal and amounted to “international piracy.”

The Russian Embassy said that French ​authorities had informed ‌Moscow that the vessel’s captain, a Russian national, had been detained on what it described as “trumped-up” charges.

“The Embassy has ‌once again contacted the French ​Ministry of Foreign Affairs, demanding immediate consular access to the Russian citizen ⁠and his prompt release,” the embassy said in a statement.

Russia has relied on old ‌vessels, known in the West as the “shadow fleet”, to ship its oil and gas in the face of Western sanctions.

France and Britain have vowed to obstruct such vessels as part ‌of a European strategy to reduce Russia’s ​ability to fund its war in Ukraine.

Russia rejects the “shadow fleet” label, says ⁠its oil shipments are legitimate, and has ⁠condemned Western attempts to intercept tankers as illegal and akin to piracy, ‌warning it reserves the right to take steps to protect its own ​shipping.

In the early hours of March 18, three persons released four mechanised boats from the Juvvaladinne Fishing Harbour located in SPSR Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh. The released boats, owned by fishermen from Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry’s Karaikal, were seized a few months ago by fishermen of Krishnapuram and Chennayapalem villages of Nellore district.

The fishermen from both States have been at loggerheads for almost four decades, with their boats being seized when crossing the State maritime borders. These disputes have been frequently emerging between the fisherfolk from both Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, as many have been pointing out the lack of “proper maritime patrolling” by the law enforcement agencies.