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.
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his governmen...
Iraq has returned restricted airspace across the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits imposed for military operations...
Denmark and Greenland have moved to reassure the public that their sovereignty will remain intact under a new security agreement with the United St...
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that additional news organisations could be barred from the White House, hours after announcing bans on CNN, MS NOW and Politico over coverage he described as “fake news”.
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his government faces growing public frustration and a resurgent far right.
Iraq has returned restricted airspace across the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits imposed for military operations against Islamic State since 2016, the Transport Ministry said.
Denmark and Greenland have moved to reassure the public that their sovereignty will remain intact under a new security agreement with the United States.
World leaders are set to gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York for several days of high-level debate, with Iran, Ukraine, artificial intelligence (AI) and a range of global crises expected to dominate discussions this week.
Ed Sheeran has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his U.S. tour, apologising for decisions made after rapper Macklemore was removed from the line-up over his public support for Palestine.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment