France allowed the Russian sailing frigate Shtandart to dock in its port despite EU sanctions over Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, AFP reported on Aug. 7, citing an unnamed port source.
The European Union along with some other nations banned Russian ships from entering their ports soon after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The vessel arrived in the port city of La Rochelle overnight on Aug. 6 to replenish supplies and refuel, the source told AFP. The same day in the afternoon, the Standart departed in an unclear direction, the news agency reported.
Another AFP's source close to the French authorities said it was only a "technical stopover" and that there was no reason to prohibit it.
The Shtandart ship is a replica of a frigate belonging to Tsar Peter the Great. It was banned from entering the French port city of Brest and from the Breton port's maritime festival in July after the regional Finistere prefecture ruled that EU sanctions included "historic ships" that bore a Russian flag before the invasion.
A video was published on the boat's Instagram account on Aug. 6 showing its captain and owner Vladimir Martus who comments on the stopover.
"Shtandart is going to depart from La Rochelle. It's been beautiful to be here, we've got fuel, we got food, we sent the crew to shower, we are going to sail for a week. Bye-bye La Rochelle! Hope to be here again," he says in the video.
Kateryna Denisova
