Paris/Copenhagen — French troops boarded a Russian-linked oil tanker off the Atlantic coast amid suspicions the vessel is tied to drone flights that have repeatedly disrupted airspace over northern Europe.
The tanker — known as Boracay but also sailing under the name Pushpa — is part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” a network of blacklisted or covert vessels used to evade Western oil sanctions. French authorities detained the ship near Saint-Nazaire last week after the crew allegedly failed to provide proper documentation of its nationality.
President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the investigation, telling reporters at an EU summit in Copenhagen that “serious offences” by the crew had justified the legal action.
The ship’s movements had drawn scrutiny after tracking data placed it off the Danish coast between September 22 and 25, coinciding with drone sightings that forced Copenhagen Airport to temporarily shut down operations. According to maritime analysts, other sanctioned Russian vessels — Astrol 1 and Oslo Carrier 3 — were also observed in the vicinity during the incidents.
While Macron urged caution about directly linking the tanker to the drone flights, NATO officials said the alliance had stepped up surveillance in the Baltic Sea. Reinforced measures now include radar installations at Copenhagen Airport, expanded intelligence and reconnaissance patrols, and the deployment of NATO’s German frigate FGS Hamburg.
Drone incursions have rattled Danish authorities in recent weeks, with sightings reported over multiple airports and military bases, including Denmark’s largest garrison. NATO officials described the activity as part of a “pattern of increasingly irresponsible behavior” and warned that vigilance in the region had been heightened.
The developments underscore growing European concerns over what Western officials describe as Russia’s campaign of “hybrid warfare” — a mix of drone incursions, airspace violations, cyberattacks, and energy blackmail designed to destabilize NATO’s eastern flank. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that the incidents amount to “tests” of Europe’s air defense capacity.
Several frontline states, including Poland, the Baltic republics, Romania, and Bulgaria, have now agreed in principle to construct a “drone wall” — a layered defensive system designed to detect and neutralize hostile drones before they reach critical infrastructure.
The “shadow fleet” itself has long been viewed as a central pillar of Moscow’s sanctions evasion strategy. The fleet consists largely of aging, poorly maintained oil tankers operating with limited oversight, often switching off transponders or falsifying data to mask cargo origins. Western intelligence services have linked the network to illicit transfers and potential covert operations.
For now, the Boracay/Pushpa remains under investigation in France. But European officials caution that the vessel may be only one piece of a wider operation blending covert logistics with airborne intimidation.
