French activists appeal to the European Commission regarding the Russian ship "Shtandart", which ignores EU sanctions
Other EU countries, in particular Spain, Ireland, Portugal, have already banned this ship from entering their ports
In France, activists led by Bernard Grua continue the fight against the Russian ship "Shtandart", which illegally enters European ports in defiance of EU sanctions.
This issue is causing more and more public resonance, since, despite the ban from Brussels, the management of some French ports continues to allow this ship to dock, causing outrage among human rights activists and citizens.
"Shtandart" is a replica of a historical Russian ship in the style of the times of Peter the Great, which is now used as a recreational or passenger ship under the Russian flag.
Activist communities point out that the ship has been banned after the EU sanctions since April 16, 2022, following the mass killings in Bucha and a new round of international sanctions against Russia.
These sanctions prohibit all vessels registered under the Russian flag (including replicas of historical ships) from entering EU ports.
A similar position was confirmed in a letter from the European Commission dated July 12, 2024, where the regulator clearly stated that EU ports should be closed to such vessels.
Despite the European ban, in France, "Shtandart" continues to receive “unofficial privileges” in some ports, in particular in La Rochelle, where the local administration, according to activists, is delaying the implementation of the sanctions.
According to the “No Shtandart In Europe” collective, certain officials don’t want to apply sanctions.
Such actions are strange given the fact that other EU countries, in particular Spain, have already banned this vessel from entering their ports – for example, during the Vigo festival, “Shtandart” was blocked from entering La Coruña.
Ireland and Portugal have also banned the Russian propaganda vessel from entering their ports.
Citizen petitions and appeals, in particular those initiated on the MesOpinions.com platform, contain calls to local authorities and the European Commission not to allow “Shtandart” to enter the ports of Brittany (for example: Concarneau, Morbihan, Brest, Camaret, Paimpol or Saint-Brieuc).
The authors of the appeal call the presence of the vessel a “toxic occupation” and emphasize that its captain-owner Vladimir Martus is not only using his yacht for marketing, but also acting under the cover of the Russian authorities.
They also accuse individual officials of facilitating the circumvention of sanctions and demand strict legal enforcement of EU sanctions.
Activist Bernard Grua is known for having previously organized protests against the transfer of the Mistral aircraft carriers to Russia, which France had agreed to sell to the Russian side at one time. After the start of the aggression against Ukraine in 2014 and sharp criticism of this project from civil society, the government canceled the transfer.
The collective of activists insists that the situation around “Standard” is not just an event of local importance, but a test of the ability of France and Europe to strictly adhere to sanctions against the aggressor.
“In a sovereign state governed by the rule of law, the law should not be interpreted depending on the circumstances – it should be applied,” the activists argue in an appeal to the European Commission.
While some French ports continue to grant the Russian ship “unofficial privileges” and access, this raises questions about the transparency of the implementation of sanctions, they emphasize.
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