The French navy’s seizure of an illegal oil tanker linked to Russia in the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday represents a new, more aggressive strategy from Europe cracking down on Moscow‘s “dark fleet.”

French authorities identified the tanker as the MT GRINCH, which had left from Murmansk, Russia, and was suspected of flying a false flag, one linked to the Comoro Islands, according to open-source intelligence. The U.S. Treasury Department added the vessel to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List in January 2025, and it has since been sanctioned by the European Union, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Ukraine as well.