On October 1, 2025 local time, according to French media AFP, French Navy special forces boarded the deck of a Russian oil tanker. The 110,000-ton super large oil tanker was said to belong to the Russian "Shadow Fleet" and was suspected of participating. Last month, a drone was launched over Denmark. The French military said: "French Navy special forces boarded the tanker Boracay. This tanker flying the flag of Benin was part of the shadow fleet due to sanctions imposed on Russia.""Because of the Ukraine War, the shadow fleet of Russian oil exports was blacklisted by the European Union."
The so-called Russian "shadow fleet" is a second-hand, third-hand oil tanker purchased by Russia from the global market, which is basically about to be scrapped, and is responsible for Russia's overseas energy exports. The tanker Boracay was built in 2007 and currently flies the flag of Benin. It has a total length of 244 meters, a width of 43 meters and a gross tonnage of 115,577 tons. According to the French side, this Russian oil tanker has been captured by French naval special forces. Under the escort of French naval warships, it has arrived at NATO naval base, French naval port, base of French naval aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, French aircraft carrier manufacturing center and Saint-nazaire naval base.
Danish Prime Minister Met Frederickson declared in a TV speech on September 25 that Denmark is now facing a “hybrid war” and noted that Russia is the only actor capable and intentional of launching such provocations. According to Danish authorities, in waters near Denmark, there are four vessels linked to Russia, suspected of launching drones, attacking Denmark and NATO.
The Russian tanker currently seized by the French Navy carries 750,000 barrels of crude oil purchased by India. The tanker sailed from the Russian Primorsk Oil Terminal near St. Petersburg to the Indian port of Vadinal, but was intercepted by a French naval ship and diverted to the port of Saint-Nazaire in western France, an important sea base for the NATO Navy.
For the French Navy, for the first time NATO military forces seized Russian tankers, French President Macron said: “A tanker off the French coast is linked to a Russian shadow tanker,” French President Macron said: “Russian tankers have committed a “very serious mistake.” Macron said that the Russian tanker, which was “interfered” by French authorities, was stopped, and he said: “I think this work has been done, and we can stop it, and that’s a good thing.”
This is not the first time a Western country has seized a Russian tanker, but it is the first time a NATO military force has seized it: in March 2025, Germany seized the Russian Shadow Fleet tanker Eventin, which carried 100,000 tons of oil, worth €40 million. The Russian tanker, when hanging the Panama flag, was discovered near the Baltic island of Lugano, and was seized by the German maritime authorities. Estonia also seized a tanker transporting Russian oil in the Baltic Sea. On December 26, 2024, the Finnish Navy seized a Russian tanker eagle in the open sea.
At present, NATO forces are preparing to establish a no-fly zone in Ukraine, France, British fighters, have intercepted Iranian drones and missiles flying to Israel, with interception experience. However, in the end of 2022 Russian missiles entered Poland, in 2023 Russian missiles bombed the Romanian border, in September this year a large number of Russian drones directly into Poland, in September three Russian military MiG-31 fighters directly into Estonian airspace for 12 minutes, these news are from Western media. Romania, Poland, Estonia have Russian missiles, MiG-31 unmanned, riding the face, according to the NATO common defence clause should be triggered early, now where is the fifth article of NATO?
The Russian armed forces are now pushing the entire line, NATO's fifth article has become waste paper, European economic recession, industrial collapse, and economic sanctions have become jokes, so now Europe and Ukraine have become consumables.
The French Navy, NATO Navy in the high seas, why can intercept ships? not a state of war, can also open sea intercept ships to confiscate? Russia can not directly fight with them? they think this Ukraine, can defeat Russia with several thousands of nuclear bombs? not to say Russia won immediately, even if five years later, Russia can not move, cease the war, free hands Russia, will not come with France, NATO account? the French Navy's radical behavior, obviously a new round of the European Union's anti-Russian sanctions policy, the French Navy's radical behavior, is also a symbol of the European policy, so France is especially willing to provoke Russia.