Paris has detained an oil tanker it claims to be part of the Russian shadow fleet

Russian President Vladimir Putin has denounced France's detention of an oil tanker that it claims carried Russian cargo as "piracy," noting the seizure took place in neutral waters without justification.

Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi on Thursday, Putin argued that investigators were searching for "military cargo, drones, or something of that kind," but insisted "none of that is there, never was, and never could be."

Media reports have suggested the investigation may be linked to unidentified drones spotted near Danish airports and military sites last month. There have been suggestions that the UAVs may have been Russian, an accusation Moscow has denied.

Putin also noted that the tanker was sailing under a foreign flag with an international crew, questioning whether it had any connection to Russia at all.

The vessel in question, the 'Boracay', is sanctioned by the EU and was sailing under a Benin flag when French naval forces boarded it last week. It remains anchored near Saint-Nazaire, with its captain and first mate in custody as prosecutors investigate "serious irregularities."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized France for speaking "in the language of riddles," pointing to the lack of specifics in the accusations. She argued that the EU invented the concept of a "shadow fleet" in violation of maritime law and is now attempting to impose "illegal" secondary sanctions worldwide.

The EU maintains that Russia relies on a clandestine network of tankers to skirt restrictions on oil exports imposed after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. Officials in Brussels say the fleet, often using flags of convenience and opaque ownership structures, poses security and environmental risks while sustaining Moscow's revenues. The bloc has blacklisted certain ships, tightened port inspections, and pressured third countries and companies to avoid dealings with Russia as part of its broad sanctions campaign against the country.

Putin has suggested that the detention of the vessel was an attempt by the French leadership to distract attention from the country's domestic problems.

(RT.com)