Following EU sanctions on Russia, French naval troops seized a cargo vessel laden with automobiles bound for Russia’s Baltic port city of Saint Petersburg in the English Channel, officials said Saturday.
According to the marine prefecture, the Russian-flagged Baltic Leader was escorted to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer by French soldiers after setting sail from Rouen. It’s thought to belong to a corporation targeted by EU sanctions against Moscow, according to the report.
Veronique Magnin of the regional prefecture, said the vessel was stopped by a French customs patrol vessel backed up by a police surveillance ship and a naval patrol boat.
The 127-metre (417-foot) vessel is “strongly suspected of being linked to Russian interests targeted by sanctions,” she said, adding that while such a measure was “rare” it is “a sign of “firmness”.
The decision comes after the European Union imposed unprecedented penalties on Russian individuals, corporations, and other institutions on Thursday in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
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