Watch the moment Britain bolsters French Navy operation to seize Putin oil tanker

Watch the moment French and British forces jointly intercepted a sanctioned Russian oil tanker in the Atlantic on Sunday, marking an escalation in Western efforts to disrupt Moscow's sanctions-evading maritime operations.

The vessel, named Tagor, was stopped in international waters more than 400 nautical miles west of Brittany, with heavily-armed French troops rappelling onto the ship from a military helicopter.

Britain contributed aerial intelligence and surveillance capabilities to the operation, though no Royal Navy warships participated directly.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the seizure on Monday, declaring: "It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and fund the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years."

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He added: "This operation was carried out in the Atlantic, in international waters, with the support of several partners, including the United Kingdom, in strict compliance with the law of the sea.

"These vessels, which fail to adhere to the most basic rules of maritime navigation, also pose a threat to the environment and to everyone's safety."

The Tagor measures 252 metres in length and was registered under Madagascar's flag, though French maritime authorities suspected the vessel of flying false colours.

An inspection team that boarded the ship confirmed irregularities with its documentation, according to France's Atlantic maritime prefecture.

The tanker had departed from Murmansk and was last tracked off Norway's northern coastline before its interception.

It is affiliated with Fractal Marine DMCC, a company operating 28 tankers that was placed on the UK sanctions list in February.

The firm unsuccessfully challenged British sanctions in court before transferring its fleet to other operators.

Moscow responded furiously to the operation, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov branding it "illegal, bordering on international piracy".

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"We absolutely disagree that they are being carried out in full compliance with international law," Mr Peskov stated, adding that Russia would implement measures to protect its shipping cargo.

The Russian embassy in Paris confirmed Tagor's captain is believed to be a Russian national and has requested details from French authorities about any other Russian crew members aboard.

According to the state news agency TASS, Moscow received no advance notification of France's intention to board the vessel.

The seizure represents France's fourth interception of a suspected shadow fleet vessel in recent months, significantly outpacing British enforcement efforts despite previous commitment to targeting sanction-evading ships.

In March, Prime Minister Keir Starmer authorised the military to board suspected shadow fleet vessels transiting British waters.

Publicly available data indicates dozens of sanctioned Russian tankers have passed through the Channel without challenge.

John Foreman, a former British defence attaché in Moscow and Kyiv, described the UK's record as "pathetic" compared with France's tally.

The Tagor has been sanctioned by the European Union, United Kingdom and United States for its role in circumventing restrictions designed to starve Russia's war effort of funding.

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