00:00Just hours after a fiery speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky,
00:24Europe took one of its boldest actions yet against Russia's war economy.
00:30Let's be honest, Europe must do more, so its sanctions block enemies as effectively as
00:37American sanctions.
00:39In the open waters of the Mediterranean, a Russian oil tanker was stopped, boarded and
00:45seized.
00:46Here's what happened and why it matters.
00:49On January 22, 2026, the French Navy, backed by intelligence from the United Kingdom and
00:56other allies, intercepted an oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia's so-called shadow
01:03fleet.
01:04This operation took place in the Alborand Sea between southern Spain and northern Morocco,
01:10on the high seas and under international maritime law.
01:14French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the seizure himself, saying the move was about
01:19one thing, cutting off the money that fuels Russia's war in Ukraine.
01:25This is not just another ship.
01:28This is the first time the West has seized a shadow fleet tanker loaded with Russian Arctic
01:33crude oil.
01:35The vessel, called Grinch, is a 22-year-old tanker, nearly 250 meters long, capable of carrying around
01:43600,000 barrels of oil.
01:46It was loaded in Murmansk, in Russia's Arksikminjan, just days earlier.
01:51It sailed down the Norwegian coast, passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, and was intercepted
01:56almost immediately after entering the Mediterranean.
02:00French commandos used helicopters and navy boats, masked soldiers boarded the ship.
02:06The tanker was then diverted for inspection as a judicial investigation was launched.
02:11Why this ship matters Although it flew the flag of Comoros, a common
02:16flag of convenience, investigators believe this was a false flag operation.
02:21The ship shares identification numbers with another tanker already sanctioned by the US,
02:27EU and UK.
02:29This is classic shadow fleet behavior — opaque ownership, poor insurance and high-risk operations
02:36designed to evade sanctions.
02:39The big picture — Russia's shadow fleet is believed to include over 1,000 tankers, generating
02:45around $100 billion a year — money that directly funds the war.
02:51Now here's the timing that caught global attention.
02:54On the very same day, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted Europe
03:00from moving too slowly.
03:02He accused leaders of being in what he called Greenland mode — waiting for the US to lead
03:08instead of acting.
03:10He demanded more sanctions, more seizures, and the complete dismantling of the shadow fleet.
03:16Hours later, France acted.
03:18Zelenskyy publicly thanked Macron, calling it exactly the kind of resolve Europe needs.
03:25What comes next?
03:26Russia has called similar actions piracy before, and retaliation is possible — diplomatic pressure,
03:33economic countermeasures, or even increased naval posturing.
03:38But experts are clear — this is not a step towards World War III.
03:42It is a legal, targeted enforcement of sanctions — part of a long, ongoing economic war.
03:49What this seizure signals is a possible shift.
03:53Europe may no longer just talk about sanctions — it may start enforcing them, ship by ship.
03:59And for Moscow, that could change everything.
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