Captain, First Officer Of Tanker Linked To Russian Shadow Fleet Arrested: France

The statement comes after the French police seized a suspected “Shadow Fleet” tanker after the Navy boarded the vessel on Thursday.

“This is piracy. The tanker was seized in neutral waters without any justification," AFP quoted Putin as saying.

The Russian leader added that there was no military cargo onboard.

“We are closely monitoring the rising militarisation of Europe. Retaliatory measures by Russia will not take long. The response to such threats will be very significant. Russia will never show weakness or indecisiveness," he added.