No Russians aboard seized tanker DF Peak, deputy foreign minister Grushko tells Interfax

Russia's deputy foreign minister, Alexander Grushko, told Interfax on Thursday 15 October that no Russian citizens are currently aboard the tanker DF Peak, which French forces seized in the Indian Ocean. Grushko said this did not alter Moscow's stance on what he called piratical actions on sea routes. He argued that the French Navy had gone far beyond international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and described the seizure as a gross and wholly unacceptable violation. Interfax noted that President Emmanuel Macron had said the tanker was suspected of sailing under a false flag and illegally carrying fuel, and that Russia's embassy in France had been checking whether any Russians were among the crew.

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