France intercepts sanctioned Russian oil tanker, Macron says

France intercepted a sanctioned Russian oil tanker in the Atlantic on Sunday with the support of allies including the UK, French President Emmanuel Macron has said.

He said the French Navy boarded the Tagor, which maritime authorities said had been flying a false flag when it was detained around 400 nautical miles west of Brittany in international waters.

"It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and fund the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years," Macron wrote on X.

The Kremlin said the "illegal" seizure was "bordering on international piracy".

"Russia is taking measures to ensure the safety of its cargo," said spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Moscow has been operating a so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers with obscure ownership structures to evade international sanctions imposed on its oil exports since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

It is the fourth such ship that France has boarded since September 2025.

Macron said the operation had been undertaken "in strict compliance with the law of the sea".