After the arrest of the Chinese captain, the Chief of Staff of the French Army warned to prepare for war!
On October 1st, the oil tanker "Boracay Island" departing from the port of St. Primorsk in Russia was transporting 750,000 barrels of crude oil in the direction of India. French special forces suddenly appeared to intercept it.
After boarding the ship, the soldiers took control of the cockpit and forced the tanker to turn to the Saint-Nazaire Naval Base in France. The China captain and first mate on board were arrested on the spot.
The reason given by the French side is that the oil tanker is suspected of participating in drone attacks on Danish airspace, and changed its name four times within a year. It is suspected of belonging to the Russian "shadow fleet".
The captain, who was detained, remained silent in the face of interrogation and refused to answer questions about ship ownership and the number of ships transported.
Based on this, French prosecutors determined that there were "unknown secrets" and announced that they would be tried in February 2026.
Less than 24 hours after the seizure operation, the French Army Chief of Staff, Pierre Schiller, issued a loud statement "Prepared for war tonight", artillery and armored forces at the eastern military bases gathered overnight toward the German border, and Lithuania's NATO "Steel Determination - 2025" exercises also entered early in force.
Behind the escalation of the situation is a game of EU sanctions on Russian energy exports.
Russia’s 40 percent of its war budget comes from energy exports, while the Shadow Fleet carries 70 percent of its oil exports.
In 2025, the European Union has sanctioned 342 such ships and plans to reduce the Russian oil price cap from US$60/barrel to US$45.
France's action is regarded as a "beheading operation" to implement the 17th round of EU sanctions, trying to directly cut off the lifeline of Russian energy exports.
However, the legality of this action has raised widespread controversy.
According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the right of boarding on the high seas only applies to specific situations such as piracy and slave trade, and the "drone attack" alleged by France is not among them.
More importantly, the tanker flew the flag of Benin, and France neither obtained the authorization of the flag state nor produced conclusive evidence. The action was questioned as "wanting to add crimes".
Russia immediately took countermeasures, suing France to the International Maritime Court, claiming a loss of US $120 million, and exposed the black materials that French intelligence agencies monitored EU member states.
The response of the international community is divided.
The United States and the United Kingdom expressed their support for France, but the U.S. aircraft carrier battle group quietly withdrew from the Mediterranean Sea, and the British aircraft carrier "Queen Elizabeth" also returned home on the grounds of maintenance.
Eastern European countries such as Poland and Lithuania responded positively by providing military bases and increasing troops, which tested NATO’s myth of “collective defense.”
The energy market has already felt the shock first.
Natural gas prices in Europe rose to US$3000 per thousand cubic meters, industrial companies relocated in large numbers, and German chemical giant BASF moved its production lines to Zhanjiang, China.
Ironically, France itself imports 15% of its total demand for liquefied natural gas from Russia every year, and faces uncertainty in winter heating.
India, the original destination of the crude oil, has publicly condemned France, but privately signed a long-term oil supply agreement with Russia, the price is 30% lower than the market price.
Russia's response in the energy field has long been outlined.
In addition toining transport through “ship-to-ship transfer” and “ship-to-flag replacement”, we will also deepen cooperation with China and India to establish a “ruby-yuan double settlement” system to bypass the dollar hegemony.
At the military level, the Black Sea Fleet nuclear submarines began sailing in the Atlantic, and the Iskander missile systems were also deployed to Belarus, forming a reciprocal deterrent.
The situation of the Chinese captain became the key node of the incident.
China has made it clear that it will pay attention to the rights and interests of relevant persons, and will inevitably communicate through diplomatic channels.
From the historical context, China has always firmly safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of overseas citizens, always adhered to legal principles in similar international disputes, and promoted the settlement of problems through consultation.
The tension caused by the ship arrest reflects the deep game between the global energy landscape and geopolitics. The warning of so-called "war preparations" is more like a means of pressure, while all parties are actually avoiding the escalation of conflicts.
The essence of energy cooperation is mutual benefit and win-win results. Any forced intervention that deviates from the legal basis may eventually backfire on itself. The trend of the event will eventually return to the track of dialogue and consultation, which is not only the general expectation of the international community, but also the only feasible way to resolve differences.
On October 1st, the oil tanker "Boracay Island" departing from the port of St. Primorsk in Russia was transporting 750,000 barrels of crude oil in the direction of India. French special forces suddenly appeared to intercept it.
After boarding the ship, the soldiers took control of the cockpit and forced the tanker to turn to the Saint-Nazaire Naval Base in France. The China captain and first mate on board were arrested on the spot.
The reason given by the French side is that the oil tanker is suspected of participating in drone attacks on Danish airspace, and changed its name four times within a year. It is suspected of belonging to the Russian "shadow fleet".
The captain, who was detained, remained silent in the face of interrogation and refused to answer questions about ship ownership and the number of ships transported.
Based on this, French prosecutors determined that there were "unknown secrets" and announced that they would be tried in February 2026.
Less than 24 hours after the seizure operation, the French Army Chief of Staff, Pierre Schiller, issued a loud statement "Prepared for war tonight", artillery and armored forces at the eastern military bases gathered overnight toward the German border, and Lithuania's NATO "Steel Determination - 2025" exercises also entered early in force.
Behind the escalation of the situation is a game of EU sanctions on Russian energy exports.
Russia’s 40 percent of its war budget comes from energy exports, while the Shadow Fleet carries 70 percent of its oil exports.
In 2025, the European Union has sanctioned 342 such ships and plans to reduce the Russian oil price cap from US$60/barrel to US$45.
France's action is regarded as a "beheading operation" to implement the 17th round of EU sanctions, trying to directly cut off the lifeline of Russian energy exports.
However, the legality of this action has raised widespread controversy.
According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the right of boarding on the high seas only applies to specific situations such as piracy and slave trade, and the "drone attack" alleged by France is not among them.
More importantly, the tanker flew the flag of Benin, and France neither obtained the authorization of the flag state nor produced conclusive evidence. The action was questioned as "wanting to add crimes".
Russia immediately took countermeasures, suing France to the International Maritime Court, claiming a loss of US $120 million, and exposed the black materials that French intelligence agencies monitored EU member states.
The response of the international community is divided.
The United States and the United Kingdom expressed their support for France, but the U.S. aircraft carrier battle group quietly withdrew from the Mediterranean Sea, and the British aircraft carrier "Queen Elizabeth" also returned home on the grounds of maintenance.
Eastern European countries such as Poland and Lithuania responded positively by providing military bases and increasing troops, which tested NATO’s myth of “collective defense.”
The energy market has already felt the shock first.
Natural gas prices in Europe rose to US$3000 per thousand cubic meters, industrial companies relocated in large numbers, and German chemical giant BASF moved its production lines to Zhanjiang, China.
Ironically, France itself imports 15% of its total demand for liquefied natural gas from Russia every year, and faces uncertainty in winter heating.
India, the original destination of the crude oil, has publicly condemned France, but privately signed a long-term oil supply agreement with Russia, the price is 30% lower than the market price.
Russia's response in the energy field has long been outlined.
In addition toining transport through “ship-to-ship transfer” and “ship-to-flag replacement”, we will also deepen cooperation with China and India to establish a “ruby-yuan double settlement” system to bypass the dollar hegemony.
At the military level, the Black Sea Fleet nuclear submarines began sailing in the Atlantic, and the Iskander missile systems were also deployed to Belarus, forming a reciprocal deterrent.
The situation of the Chinese captain became the key node of the incident.
China has made it clear that it will pay attention to the rights and interests of relevant persons, and will inevitably communicate through diplomatic channels.
From the historical context, China has always firmly safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of overseas citizens, always adhered to legal principles in similar international disputes, and promoted the settlement of problems through consultation.
The tension caused by the ship arrest reflects the deep game between the global energy landscape and geopolitics. The warning of so-called "war preparations" is more like a means of pressure, while all parties are actually avoiding the escalation of conflicts.
The essence of energy cooperation is mutual benefit and win-win results. Any forced intervention that deviates from the legal basis may eventually backfire on itself. The trend of the event will eventually return to the track of dialogue and consultation, which is not only the general expectation of the international community, but also the only feasible way to resolve differences.