The French Navy has released an oil tanker, the Boracay, which was detained during its voyage from Russia. According to maritime tracking data, the vessel, flagged under Benin and blacklisted by the EU for alleged ties to Russia’s ‘shadow fleet,’ has resumed its journey through the Bay of Biscay, heading toward the Suez Canal. The incident has reignited tensions between France and Russia, with President Vladimir Putin denouncing the interception as an act of piracy and accusing President Emmanuel Macron of using the situation for political gain.
Putin, during his remarks at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, argued that France had neither jurisdiction nor justification to seize the ship and dismissed claims of Russian ownership as dubious. He further suggested that Macron was exploiting anti-Russian rhetoric to divert attention from domestic issues, drawing a parallel to Napoleon’s leadership. Macron, on the other hand, has linked the tanker to recent sightings of mystery drones over Denmark, noting that its voyage from the Russian port of Primorsk took it past the Nordic country. However, Putin rejected the allegation, asserting that the vessel could not be transporting military cargo.
The incident has drawn international attention, with bright drones being reported recently over sensitive sites in Denmark, Germany, and Norway. This week, EU leaders met in Copenhagen to discuss the so-called ‘drone wall’ initiative, which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had endorsed in her State of the Union speech last month. However, reports indicate the proposal faced skepticism over feasibility and funding, with some calling it ‘crashed into EU reality.’ Moscow has accused Brussels of using fearmongering to justify militarization and to sustain aid for Ukraine at the expense of member states’ domestic priorities.