Journal De Bruxelles - Putin vows 'significant' response as tension with Europe flares

The Russian leader's warning came after the French navy on Saturday detained and boarded an oil tanker that has been blacklisted by the European Union for being part of Russia's sanction-busting "shadow fleet".

The ship, the Boracay, has been linked to mysterious drone flights over Denmark last month, including military sites, part of a recent spate of drone sightings and airspace violations in European countries blamed on Russia -- though Moscow denies responsibility.

The airspace incidents are adding to tension between European nations and Moscow, already riding high over Russia's war on Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron urged European countries to do more to thwart Moscow's efforts to skirt Western sanctions, telling a summit in Denmark that Europe needed to "kill the business model" of using ageing, foreign-flagged tankers to transport Russian oil by detaining such ships.

France's detention of the Boracay, a vessel claiming to be flagged in Benin, drew a furious response from Putin.

"This is piracy," he said. "The tanker was seized in neutral waters without any justification," adding that there was no military cargo onboard.

"We are closely monitoring the rising militarisation of Europe," Putin told a foreign policy forum in the city of Sochi, southern Russia.

"Retaliatory measures by Russia will not take long. The response to such threats will be very significant," he added.

"Russia will never show weakness or indecisiveness."

- Chinese captain facing trial -

The Boracay's Chinese captain will stand trial in France in February next year, said the public prosecutor's office in the northwestern city of Brest.

At this stage, the vessel is only being investigated over inconsistencies in where it was officially registered, prosecutors said, adding it was carrying a "large cargo of oil" from Russia to India.

The ship's captain and first mate were detained on Tuesday after refusing to provide evidence of nationality or cooperate with French authorities, prosecutors said.

The first mate has since been released.

It was not immediately clear if the captain would be set free under certain conditions or if the ship could continue on its way.

- European leaders huddle -

Macron, in Denmark for the summit -- also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky -- said military chiefs of countries in the European-led "coalition of the willing" supporting Ukraine would hold talks "in the coming days" on how to disrupt the "shadow fleet".

According to shipping data analysed by AFP, the Boracay -- which has also been named the Pushpa or the Kiwala -- was positioned off Denmark during last month's drone, which prompted brief airport closures.

Specialist website The Maritime Executive said the 244-metre (801-foot) vessel was suspected of being involved in the drone flights. It said the tanker and several other ships could have been used either as launch platforms or decoys.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia did not have any information on the detained ship, and warned of "absolutely unpredictable consequences for the world's energy markets".

Drone incidents in Denmark and aerial incursions from Moscow in Estonia and Poland have heightened fears that Russia's war against Ukraine could spill over Europe's borders, prompting European leaders to call for greater aerial defences for the bloc.

Estimated to include up to 1,000 ships, the "shadow fleet" is thought to represent "tens of billions of euros of Russia's budget" and make up "40 percent of the Russian war effort", according to Macron.

The vessels -- which fly flags of convenience, have opaque ownership and often turn their transponders off -- enable Moscow to keep exporting its crude oil for much-needed revenue despite curbs on exports.

Some of these ships are suspected of also carrying out sabotage operations.

The Brest public prosecutor said the investigation by the French Navy determined the Boracay "had no flag".

Another military source told AFP Russian ships were common off the French coast.

"Every day, between 10 and 15 vessels from the 'shadow fleet' sail off the coast of Brest," the source said.

The tanker left the Russian port of Primorsk near Saint Petersburg on September 20, shipping data showed.

According to data from the Marine Traffic tracker, the tanker was scheduled to arrive in Vadinar in northwestern India on October 20.

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T.Moens--JdB