Estonian authorities on Monday welcomed the seizure in Atlantic Ocean waters of a Russian oil tanker by the French Navy, a vessel "under international sanctions," and stressed that this action "sends the right message."
The Estonian Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna, stated in a message shared on social media that "France sends the right message: non-compliance with sanctions will not be tolerated. Russia's shadow fleet maintains the flow of oil revenues to the Kremlin, while undermining maritime security and environmental standards."
Along the same lines, he emphasized that Europe must "continue to tighten the noose around the vessels, companies, and networks that make this trade possible," insisting on the need to increase pressure on the structures that allow international restrictions to be circumvented.
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, explained that the operation was carried out this Sunday "on the high seas" and "with the support of numerous partners, including the United Kingdom, in strict respect for the Law of the Sea," underlining international cooperation in the operation.
The French leader reiterated that "it is unacceptable for vessels to evade international sanctions, violate maritime law, and finance the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years," directly linking these activities to the Russian war effort.
This seizure constitutes the fourth intervention of its kind since September 2025. Russia, for its part, has harshly criticized the actions of the French Navy and has stated that these actions "border on piracy." "We consider these actions illegal. They border on international piracy," stated Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov, who stressed that Moscow "completely disagrees" that these steps comply with International Law.