The West uses provocations against tankers in neutral waters. What you need to know

The Boracay tanker, detained by the French authorities in neutral waters on suspicion of transporting Russian oil in circumvention of sanctions, continued its route on October 3. The day before, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his speech at a meeting of the Valdai Club, called the actions of the French authorities piracy. What other provocations the Russian merchant fleet has faced at sea can be found in the Izvestia article.

What happened to Boracay

• A Benin-flagged oil tanker was stopped by the French Navy in neutral waters near the port of Saint-Nazaire, west of France, on September 30. An investigation was launched against the crew, as the captain and first mate allegedly failed to provide evidence of the vessel's nationality and did not follow orders. The vessel was suspected of transporting Russian oil in circumvention of the sanctions imposed by the European Union.

• Another version of the accusation was voiced in the Western press — allegedly the tanker changed its name from Pushpa to Boracay and could be a platform from which unidentified drones were launched into Denmark. French President Emmanuel Macron said at the EU summit in Copenhagen on October 2 that the ship's crew was suspected of "serious offenses" and suggested detaining tankers at sea, which would allegedly disrupt Russian oil supplies.

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• On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared at a plenary session of the Valdai Club that the seizure of ships in neutral waters without any grounds was piracy. For France, this is an excuse to divert public attention from internal problems and provoke Russia to retaliate. Earlier, Russia warned that provocations against tankers in international waters could lead to unpredictable consequences for energy markets. A few hours after the Russian leader's speech, information appeared that the crew had returned to the ship, and it continued its route.

Other cases of detention of vessels in neutral waters

The tanker fleet has repeatedly been subjected to provocations by European countries in the Baltic Sea. Last November, two cables connecting Sweden to Lithuania and Finland to Germany were damaged in Swedish territorial waters in the Baltic Sea on November 17 and 18. The Chinese ship Yi Peng Three, which allegedly sailed from the Russian port of Ust-Luga, was blamed for the cliff.

• European leaders were quick to accuse Russia of sabotage: German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that "no one believes that these cables were cut by accident," and Finnish President Alexander Stubb claimed the incident was "definitely" linked to Russia. An investigation conducted by the Swedish prosecutor's office refuted suggestions of sabotage and concluded that the incident was not intentional.

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• The Eagle S tanker, registered in the Cook Islands, was detained in the Gulf of Finland on December 26, 2024 and also charged with sabotage of the Estlink-2 cable, which is laid between Finland and Estonia. The Finnish Customs Service and the executive commission of the European Union said that the vessel was allegedly part of a "shadow Russian tanker fleet." The Russian side rejected the accusations as groundless. The investigation continued for 9 months, after which the crew was charged with criminal hooliganism and serious communication disruption, but on October 3, a Finnish court dismissed the charges and damages claims as beyond its jurisdiction.

• In January 2025, two more vessels were detained in the Baltic Sea, which were suspected of breaking underwater cables — the Bulgarian cargo ship Vezhen and the Norwegian-flagged cargo ship Silver Dania, which also tried to link with Russia. The charges against the crews of these vessels were dropped within a week: the Swedish and Norwegian prosecutors unequivocally ruled out the possibility of sabotage on the part of the crew.

The purpose of the provocations

• Despite the fact that no intent or connection to Russia has been proven in any of the incidents, the accusations themselves have become a reason for Western countries to violate international law. The West has already used the situation for its own purposes, justifying the increased military presence in the waters of the Baltic Sea by allegedly fighting the "shadow fleet" of the Russian Federation.

• In January 2025, NATO countries increased their presence in the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sentry mission was announced as a way to protect the infrastructure of the alliance's member countries: frigates, military aircraft and naval drones are involved in patrolling. In fact, NATO is trying to control the Baltic, including neutral waters, and further isolate Russia.