French soldiers have boarded an oil tanker believed to be part of Russia's 'shadow fleet', used to evade sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine.
The Boracay left Russia last month and was off the coast of Denmark when unidentified drones forced the temporary closure of several airports last week. It has been anchored off western France for a few days.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated at an EU leaders' summit in Copenhagen that the crew had committed 'serious offences', although specific details were not provided.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov asserted that Russia had no knowledge of the vessel.
News agency AFP quoted a source as saying French military personnel had boarded the vessel on Saturday.
Macron declined to confirm whether the ship could have been used for the drone flights that caused disruption in Denmark last week.
Prosecutors in Brest have initiated an investigation on two counts: refusal to stop as ordered and failure to validate the nationality of the ship's flag.
Western nations have imposed sanctions on Russian energy by limiting imports and capping the price of its oil following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
To evade these sanctions, Moscow established a 'shadow fleet' of tankers obscuring ownership and movements.
President Macron highlighted that this fleet may comprise between 600 and 1,000 ships.
The Boracay, also known as Pushpa and Kiwala, is a Benin-flagged vessel but listed under UK and EU sanctions against Russia. It was previously detained by Estonian authorities for navigating without a valid country flag.
It set sail from the Russian port of Primorsk on September 20, traversing the Baltic Sea before curving past Denmark into the North Sea.
Scheduled to reach Vadinar in north-western India on October 20, it was shadowed by a French warship after rounding Brittany and altered course towards the French coast.
As EU leaders convene in Copenhagen, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen emphasized that Russia is the only nation posing a significant threat, calling for a robust European response. Despite no concrete evidence linking Russia to the drone disruption, recent incursions highlight a growing need for enhanced defence measures across Europe.
