France seizes ship suspected of violating sanctions against Russia in English Channel

PARIS, 27 February 2022, (TON): France seized a car cargo ship in the English Channel that Washington says was linked to the son of a former Russian spy chief, in one of the first visible displays of the West enforcing sanctions on Moscow over its Ukraine invasion.

Captain Veronique Magnin of the French Maritime Prefecture told media that the “Baltic Leader” was headed to St. Petersburg but was diverted to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. (0200-0300 GMT).

She said “the vessel was “strongly suspected of being linked to Russian interests targeted by the sanctions.”

The United States Treasury Department has issued blocking sanctions against the vessel because, according to Treasury, it was owned by a subsidiary of Russian lender Promsvyazbank, one of the Russian entities hit by US and European Union sanctions.

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