Lavrov warns Europe of mirror responses to shadow fleet boardings after DF Peak seizure
France seized the falsely flagged tanker off Réunion last month and arrested her master
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that European sanctions enforcement and flag verification boardings of tankers will be met with mirror and asymmetric responses, raising the prospect of reciprocal action against EU-linked shipping.
"Any claim by NATO, the EU, or their members to command any waters is unacceptable," Lavrov said. He accused the European Union of the "open seizure of foreign ships and the theft of their cargo" and argued that the term "shadow fleet" does not exist in international law.
The warning follows a run of French interventions. Last month the French Navy sent a warship to board and inspect the tanker DF Peak east of Madagascar, off the French island of Réunion. The ship was operating under the flag of Benin without authorisation, and her Equasis record shows her as falsely flagged.
What happened to DF Peak?
French forces seized the 20-year-old tanker, diverted her to Réunion and searched her. The master was arrested for failing to provide proof of his ship's nationality during a maritime inspection. If convicted he faces up to two years in prison and a fine of more than $300,000, and French law allows for the ship to be confiscated.
France had already acted in October 2025, when commandos boarded the Russia-linked tanker Boracay in the Bay of Biscay and took her to Brest for an inquiry before releasing her.
Flag verification has become a central tool against the fleet of older tankers moving Russian oil outside the price cap, because a ship without a valid nationality loses the protection of a flag state on the high seas. European governments have at the same time been dealing with a wider pattern of Russian hybrid activity, including sabotage plots, drone harassment and activity around subsea cables.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 12 November 2026.
