French naval personnel have boarded a Russia-linked oil tanker suspected of being used to launch drone flights that disrupted airports in Denmark last month.
The vessel, identified as the Boracay and long associated with Russia’s so-called ‘shadow fleet’, was intercepted on Sunday while carrying 750,000 barrels of crude oil from Primorsk, near St Petersburg, to Vadinar in India.
It was diverted to Saint-Nazaire in western France for investigation after prosecutors in Brest opened a case into its “failure to justify the nationality of the vessel” and its “refusal to cooperate”.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, welcomed the move, calling the probe a “good thing”. The Kremlin, meanwhile, said it had no information about the tanker.
The Boracay has repeatedly changed names and registrations, sailing under its previous name Pushpa around Denmark during the 22 and 24 September drone sightings that forced the temporary closure of Copenhagen and Aalborg airports.
Experts have suggested large fixed-wing drones may have been launched from ships near Danish waters, though responsibility has not been confirmed.
Danish media have also pointed to two other commercial ships, the Astrol-1 and Oslo Carrier-3 and filmed the Russian warship Aleksandr Shabalin near Langeland in the Baltic.
German officials reported similar incursions over Schleswig-Holstein, with reconnaissance drones flying over military and infrastructure sites.
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen described the incidents as part of a “hybrid war”, saying: “From a European perspective, there is only one country that is willing to threaten us, and it is Russia.”
The EU will address the threat at a summit in Copenhagen on Thursday, where leaders are expected to discuss plans for a joint “drone wall”.
Several European countries, including the UK, have already deployed anti-drone systems to Denmark.
The Boracay is subject to sanctions from the UK and EU and has been repeatedly cited as part of Russia’s shadow fleet; a network of vessels with murky ownership structures used to transport oil in breach of restrictions.
In April, when operating under yet another name, Kiwala, the tanker was briefly detained in Estonia over registry irregularities before being released.
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Uzbekistan has unveiled a series of major economic and regional initiatives as more than 4,000 delegates from over 100 countries gather in Samarkand for the 59th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), held under the theme “Crossroads of Progress.”
European allies are stepping up efforts to meet military commitments following criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Minval Politika has released a third set of footage it says shows former International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo discussing the use of artificial intelligence in a project linked to Armenia and ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’.
China has moved to block U.S. sanctions on five of its oil refineries, in a fresh escalation of tensions over trade and energy policy.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will “soon be reviewing” a new 14-point proposal sent by Iran, casting doubt on the chances of a deal after Tehran called for security guarantees, an end to naval blockades and a halt to the war across the region, including in Lebanon.
Iran warned U.S. forces on Monday not to enter the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump said the United States would "guide out" ships stranded in the Gulf by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Ukraine has launched a new wave of drone strikes on Sunday (3 May) across Russia, hitting key infrastructure and causing casualties in several regions, officials on both sides said.
Medics are working to evacuate two people with symptoms of the deadly respiratory illness, hantavirus, from a luxury cruise ship being held off West Africa, after three people died and several others fell ill, officials have said.
Australia and Japan agreed on Monday to deepen cooperation on energy and critical minerals, as Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met her Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese during a three-day visit.
Australia began public hearings on Monday in an inquiry into the Bondi Beach mass shooting in December, with Jewish Australians giving evidence about their experiences of rising domestic antisemitism.
Armenia is host to the 8th meeting of the European Political Community which opened in Yerevan on Monday (4 May). Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan welcomed European Union leaders and heads of international organisations, including NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
European allies are stepping up efforts to meet military commitments following criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
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