Operation in the North Sea: Belgium and France Seize Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker

Early March 2026 brought a sharp escalation in actions targeting Russian maritime interests off the coast of Western Europe. The most spectacular event was the seizure of the tanker Ethera, which according to Western services belongs to the so-called shadow fleet. The operation was international in nature: Belgian authorities coordinated legal and procedural aspects, while French special forces carried out a spectacular helicopter assault on the vessel located in international waters. This marks the first such direct physical seizure of a ship suspected of systematically violating trade restrictions in the North Sea region. Moscow reacted to these events with an official statement claiming it had not been formally notified about the reasons and course of the military action. Since 2022, following the imposition of G7 price caps on Russian oil, the Kremlin has built a network of hundreds of tankers operating outside the official financial system, posing a significant ecological risk to European coasts due to the poor technical condition of these vessels. Simultaneously, an incident involving the environmental organization Greenpeace occurred in the port of Dunkirk. Activists blocked a freighter which, according to their data, was transporting Russian enriched uranium destined for French nuclear power plants. The protesters argued that trade in this commodity indirectly finances Russia's war actions in Ukraine. French police intervened swiftly, detaining four activists who were physically preventing the unloading of the cargo. These events highlight the controversial issue of the lack of full EU sanctions on the Russian nuclear sector. France, despite broad support for Kyiv, remains partially dependent on Russian nuclear fuel processing services. „Це важливий крок на шляху до обмеження спроможності Росії фінансувати агресію. Ми усуваємо ці загрози одну за одною.” (This is an important step on the path to limiting Russia's ability to finance its aggression. We are removing these threats one by one.) — Volodymyr Zelenskyy This situation is causing diplomatic and logistical tensions within the European Union. While the operation against the Ethera is being presented by Brussels and Paris as a major success in tightening the economic blockade of the Kremlin, the protest in Dunkirk strikes a sensitive nerve for the government of Emmanuel Macron. France is trying to balance rigorous enforcement of oil sanctions with protecting its own energy security, which relies on nuclear power. The port incident forced authorities to once again confront criticism regarding the continuation of cooperation with Russian Rosatom during the ongoing armed conflict in Eastern Europe.