cross-posted from: mander.xyz/post/46002541

Britain has helped French forces seize a sanctioned Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean.

In an operation led by the French navy, soldiers descended onto the deck of a sanctioned Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean from two military helicopters.

The French authorities said the mission was “conducted in co-operation with our allies”, including the British.

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The tanker, Grinch, is sanctioned by the UK, US and EU. It was travelling from the Arctic port of Murmansk, loaded with Russian oil.

It is flying the African flag of Comoros, but the International Maritime Organisation labels it as a “falsely-flagged” vessel. This means it can be considered stateless and without any international protection, opening legal avenues for it to be seized.

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