MOSCOW, January 30. /TASS/. The Grinch tanker, which was detained by the French Navy, has no connection with Russia, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.
"Regarding the tanker you mentioned, according to information available in open sources, it has no connection with our country," she said.
"The ship's owner is a company registered in the Marshall Islands, and the crew, as far as we know, consists of Indian citizens. <...> Therefore, the detained vessel truly has no connection with our country," the diplomat noted.
Zakharova stressed that Moscow considers any infringement on freedom of navigation unacceptable.
"References to European Union sanctions the French leadership so pretentiously calls international, as grounds for coercive action against any tankers are completely untenable. Unilateral restrictive measures themselves are contrary to international law. In any case, they cannot serve as grounds for exercising jurisdiction on the high seas and seizing vessels. The list of such grounds under international law is exhaustive, and unilateral restrictions, as all experts know, are not included," she noted.
