French forces intercepted and made a thorough ni to the tanker 244 -meter -long Pushpa or Boracay, sailing on a Benin flag, off the saint -nazer in France. The ship is on the EU’s sanctions list, accused of belonging to the Russian “shadow arm”, through which Moscow continues to have its oil despite the embargo.
According to AFP information, soldiers went up to the tanker on Saturday (27.09.2025) for inspection in the coast of France before being on the bridge. On Monday, the Emmanuel Macron welcomed businessstating that “the intervention of French justice was fully justified by the serious crew mistakes”.
Video published by the French magazine Paris Match shows the ship’s aerial shooting in the Gulf of Saint Nazar, with a commando of the French Navy on its bridge. Other videos show French soldiers during the seizure operation.
Noel reports
has seized the 244-meter tanker “Pushpa” (also known as “Boracay”) off Saint-Nazaire, suspected of belonging to shadow fleet. The ship, which departed Primorsk on September 20 with 115,000 tons of oil, is under investigation for maritime violations. pic.twitter.com/u5lbuZnFsV– Jörg Schlüter3 (@Schluter3jorg) October 1, 2025
The tanker is also reportedly used as a drone launch platform that threw over several airports in Denmark, even causing the temporary closure of Copenhagen airport. The coincidence is typical: Between September 22 and 25 the ship was off the Danish coast.
The Brest Public Prosecutor has opened a investigation into a “refusal of compliance” and “not presenting evidence for the nationality and flag of the ship”. The tanker has changed the flag many times in recent years – Gabon, Marshall Islands, Mongolia – according to the OpenSanctions website.
Suspicions against Moscow
Although the origin of the drones remains officially unknown, Copenhagen already shows Russia as responsible. Moscow is accused of violating Poland’s airspace in early September and Estonia a few days later.
According to an analysis on the Vesslfinder website, the tanker had sailed from the Russian port of Primorsk, near St. Petersburg, on September 20th to Vadinar, India.