A Russian-flagged cargo ship has been captured and impounded in France, suspected of violating sanctions imposed as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.
The Baltic Leader was carrying a load of new cars from Rouen, France, to St Petersburg, Russia.
It’s being hosted in Boulogne, a port on the English Channel.
According to Russian official media, the yacht is owned by a subsidiary of a bank that has been sanctioned by the EU and the US recently.
Such a move, according to a provincial French official, is unusual, but it is a display of firmness.
The yacht has been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department, which claims it is owned by a subsidiary of Promsvyazbank, one of the Russian financial entities targeted by sanctions.
