An image issues by the French armed forces shows a naval officer observing an oil tanker thought to be part of the shadow fleet Russia uses to evade Western-imposed sanctions over its war in Ukraine, January 22, 2026. AP
French prosecutors said Friday, January 23, they opened an investigation into an oil tanker intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea by the French navy and suspected of shipping Russian petroleum in violation of sanctions against Moscow.
The Grinch, an oil tanker that came from Murmansk in northwestern Russia and is suspected of being part of the sanctioned Russian shadow fleet, was redirected to an anchorage following Thursday's operation by the French navy. Prosecutors in the southern French city of Marseille said Friday they were investigating the ship's alleged failure to confirm its nationality.
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Despite sanctions, Russia's 'shadow fleet' keeps delivering oil
