Two Russian nationals working for a private security company were confirmed to have been onboard a tanker seized by France in September, sources told French media. The vessel was suspected to be part of the Kremlin’s shadow fleet, carrying Russian oil and gas to evade Western sanctions.
Two Russian security agents were aboard a suspected shadow fleet tanker seized by France in September, sources told French media outlets.
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The two men were employed by Moran Security Group, a private Russian company, and were tasked with monitoring the crew and gathering intelligence, according to a French source who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.
The seized vessel, the Boracay, is thought to be part of a fleet of ageing tankers flying under flags of third countries used to transport Russian oil and gas to evade sanctions imposed by Western nations amid Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The men were aged 34 and 40, according to the source, with one of them being a former police officer who had previously worked for the Wagner paramilitary group of mercenaries under its late founder and head Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Moran Security Group was founded by former officers of Russia's FSB security service, experts say.
The men's role on board the Boracay was "to ensure the protection of the vessel and, above all, to make sure the captain strictly followed the orders given in line with Russian interests," the source said. They also gathered "intelligence," according to the source.
The suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker has been linked to mysterious drone flights over Denmark last year, including major airports and military sites.
The flights were part of a recent string of drone sightings and airspace violations in European countries said were conducted by the Kremlin as part of its hybrid warfare operations.
French authorities boarded the vessel in September, briefly detaining its captain and first mate for questioning. The Chinese captain of the tanker is set to go on trial in absentia in the city of Brest in western France on Monday.
The presence of two Russian nationals on board the vessel was confirmed by the lawyer of the Chinese captain. "There were two Russian citizens on board the ship," lawyer Henri de Richemont told AFP.
"They represented the cargo," he said, adding that they were "not sailors". "My client has nothing to do with their presence,” he added. "He is not the one who put Russians on board his vessel."
The captain and his first officer were taken into police custody in early October, then allowed to return to sea and resume their journey. The captain is accused of refusing to comply with orders.