France says it has seized an oil tanker in the Mediterranean suspected of being part of Russia’s sanction-busting “shadow fleet”.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the tanker, named the Grinch, was “subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag”.

The French navy, with the assistance of allies including the UK, boarded the vessel on Thursday morning between Spain and Morocco. French maritime authorities said that a search of the vessel had “confirmed the doubts as to the regularity of the flag”.

Russia’s embassy in Paris said it had not been informed of the seizure.

  • mcv@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    50
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    2 days ago

    There’s a difference between seizing oil tankers because you want their oil, and seizing them because they’re funding an illegal and needlessly destructive war. The first is as explicitly piracy as you can get, the second might be justifiable as sanctions, though definitely in a grey area that most countries would have preferred to stay out of.

    But I’m all for seizing the entire shadow fleet and sending the profits to Ukraine.

      • skozzii@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        12
        ·
        2 days ago

        There are literally dozens upon dozens of treaties and agreements signed by Russia which they are breaking. It’s fair no matter how you try to spin it in your own head.

        • ☂️-@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          9
          ·
          edit-2
          2 days ago

          you mean the ones western bureaucrats are openly saying don’t hold anymore?

          coming up with the rules then saying the rules benefit only you is a sham anyway.

            • ☂️-@lemmy.ml
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              edit-2
              7 hours ago

              i was arguing that some people would be mad if china did it, now that it’s “ok”.

              i don’t think they would, but it would be amusing.

              • So you were arguing a hypothetical point that hasn’t actually happened. I’m not sure what the point of that is, you’re essentially shoehorning people in a position that you believe they might take, despite them not actually having done so (and possibly wouldn’t take in the first place).

                Word of advice: don’t. People tend to not respond well to what is essentially a strawman argument. Don’t focus on hypotheticals but on what has actually happened and what people are actually arguing in favour of. Otherwise you’re having an imaginary discussion with imaginary people.

      • mcv@lemmy.zip
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        18
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        2 days ago

        Do you enjoy submitting to bullies?

        It’s Russia that threw the rules out of the window. The EU and Ukraine have been the most rules abiding powers here. The only ones, arguably. It’s hamstringing them, and en helping the aggressor that doesn’t respect any rules. Sometimes you just have to hit back. And this is still very mild.

        • ☂️-@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          arrow-down
          9
          ·
          2 days ago

          the US is the biggest bully in the world for some decades now.

          i don’t enjoy getting bombed and regime changed by the us, no.

            • ☂️-@lemmy.ml
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              edit-2
              15 hours ago

              the fuck you talking about. you are french.

              sorry to break it to your tiny little head but you are the problem.

          • mcv@lemmy.zip
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            9
            ·
            1 day ago

            I can’t help but notice you’re very careful not to say anything negative about Russia, despite their illegal invasion, their war crimes and their utterly brutal and inhuman tactics.