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French authorities have confirmed that two crew members of a sanctioned oil tanker suspected of operating within Russia’s “shadow fleet” have been arrested following a high-risk naval operation off the country’s western coast.

Getting into it: The arrests followed after the French Navy intercepted the Boracay near Saint-Nazaire, a vessel under a Benin flag that was loaded with Russian crude, during what officials described as a coordinated operation. French commandos raided the ship on Saturday at the request of prosecutors after suspicions arose about its status and activities. According to Brest prosecutor Stéphane Kellenberger, the captain and first officer were taken into custody on accusationsof not producing valid nationality documents and ignoring official instructions. Their detention has since been extended, and the captain, a Chinese national, is set to stand trial in February on charges that carry up to one year in prison and a €150,000 fine.

The route of the Boracay has raised further questions after a series of drone incidents in Denmark coincided with the tanker’s movements. According to maritime data, on September 22 the Boracay was south of Copenhagen when drone sightings forced authorities to temporarily close the airport. In the days that followed, additional drones were detected near bases and airports along Denmark’s western shoreline, roughly in line with the ship’s path. French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged the possibility of a link, but he stopped short of confirming involvement.

Despite all of this, French authorities say the Boracay was already under EU and UK sanctions and was carrying 100,000 tonnes of oil destined for India. The raid was part of a broader EU strategy to target Russia’s shadow fleet (a network of aging tankers operating under opaque ownership structures to circumvent sanctions and help fund Moscow’s war in Ukraine). President Macron stated that “very serious wrongdoings” by the crew justified legal proceedings, and noted that roughly 30–40% of Russia’s war effort is funded through such vessels.

In response to the seizure, Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the operation as an act of maritime aggression. “This is piracy,” Putin said during a foreign policy forum in Sochi. “The tanker was seized in neutral waters without any justification… and how do you deal with pirates? You destroy them.” He warned that such actions could escalate global tensions, stating, “It doesn’t mean that tomorrow a war will erupt all across the global ocean, but certainly the risk of confrontation will seriously increase.”