LONDON — France on Saturday intercepted and seized a Russian vessel in the English Channel in line with new EU sanctions against Moscow, according to multiple media reports.
The cargo ship was bound for St. Petersburg and was transporting cars, but French sea police redirected the vessel to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France.
It is “strongly suspected of being linked to Russian interests targeted by the sanctions,” said Captain Veronique Magnin of the French Maritime Prefecture, according to Reuters, with reports that the ship is owned by a Russian businessman who is on the EU’s list of sanctioned inviduals.
Reports say that the vessel is called the “Baltic Leader” and the crew were cooperating with the authorities.
The Russian RIA news agency said that the Russian embassy in France had immediately contacted the French authorities for clarification.
The United States and its European allies have decided to sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin directly due to the Russia invasion of Ukraine this week. The EU also has a wider list of Russian individuals that are subject to penalties.
Also on Thursday, EU leaders backed an another batch of sanctions that look to target strategic sectors of the Russian economy, by blocking access to key technologies and markets.
They will also look to “weaken Russia’s economic base and its capacity to modernize” and “freeze Russian assets in the EU and stop the access of Russian banks to the European financial market,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
“What we are facing is an unprecedented act of aggression by the Russian leadership against a sovereign, independent country,” von der Leyen said Thursday.
“Russia’s target is not just Donbass, the target is not just Ukraine, the target is stability in Europe and the whole international rules-based order. For that, we will hold Russia accountable.”
Meanwhile in Kyiv on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the capital had managed to repel Russian attacks overnight and his army was still in control.
Street fighting took place in Kyiv with Russian forces closing in on the city. Ukraine blew up bridges leading into Kyiv in an effort to prevent Russian troops from infiltrating the capital.
—CNBC’s Silvia Amaro contributed to this article.
