The Russian Embassy in Paris announced on Wednesday that Russia demands France to'release' the captain of the tanker who was detained?in France for what it calls 'false charges.

France's Navy said Monday that it intercepted the Tagor in the Atlantic Ocean, a tanker sanctioned by the Russian Oil Trade. Paris ordered the Tagor to go to France's mainland in a move that Moscow called illegal and "international piracy."

The Russian embassy in France said that French authorities informed Moscow that a Russian national, the captain of the vessel, was detained for what they called "false" charges.

The embassy issued a press release saying that it had "once again" contacted the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to demand immediate consular access for the Russian citizen, and his rapid release.

In the face of Western sanctions, Russia relies on old vessels - known as "shadow fleet" in the West - to ship its oil & gas.

France and Britain have pledged to 'obstruct' such vessels in a European effort to reduce Russia’s ability to fund its war in Ukraine.

Russia has rejected the "shadow fleet" label and said its oil shipments were legitimate. It also condemned Western attempts to intercept tankers, calling them 'illegal' and similar to piracy. The country warned that it reserved the right to take measures to protect its own shipping. (Reporting and Writing by Maxim Rodionov, Editing by Andrew Osborn.)

(source: Reuters)