SHTANDART

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Sanctioned Russian ship not welcome in French ports

The 'Shtandart' has been banned from entering ports in the French department of Ille-et-Vilaine, including the largest port, Saint-Malo, but some other regions are still ignoring the relevant EU sanctions. The No Shtandart In Europe group has assured that the 'Shtandart' is not welcome here and will not enter the port of Saint-Malo or any other port in the department. The prefecture stated that it respects the sanctions imposed by the EU and will comply with its own decree issued in 2024. Activists from the group had sent a letter to the prefect for informational purposes so that he could ensure compliance with the European ban in all ports of the department. A similar appeal was previously addressed to the prefecture of Charente-Maritime, as the Russian sailing ship was heading for the port of La Rochelle. However, the appeal was ignored there, and the ship was even able to take part in the naval parade. Earlier, the 'Shtandart', which replaced the Russian tricolor with the flags of Cook Island, published its summer sailing plan. Among the next stops, besides France, are moorings in Great Britain, Ireland, Norway, and Denmark. For more than three years, pro-Ukrainian civil society activists in France have been trying to force the 'Shtandart, which is under EU sanctions, to leave the country permanently.

Appeal of captain rejected

The Council of State has rejected the appeal filed by the captain of the "Shtandart", after the prefectural ban imposed on him in July 2024 from entering the ports of Finistère to participate in the Brest Maritime Festival. Vladimir Martus - who publicly displays his opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin but whose ship is accused of serving his propaganda - had brought an interim relief to the administrative court of Rennes: his ship, which no longer flies the Russian flag but the Cook Islands flag since June 6,, had "signed a contract" to participate in "a huge number of events" during the Maritime Festival. In particular, its captain was to "transport 1,500 passengers" and participate in the parade from Brest to Douarnenez, which required "significant logistics" and was to earn him "a significant sum of money". Vladimir Martus therefore simply had "the misfortune of being Russian" even though he has been living in Europe since 2009, his lawyer had lamented. Before the Council of State, Vladimir Martus argued that the Rennes judge had committed a double "error of law" on July 11, 2024: the ban on Russian ships accessing European ports since the war in Ukraine was "applicable only to replicas of historic ships flying the Russian flag on June 25, 2024", which was not her case. The order of the Breton magistrate also amounted to violating the "principles of legal certainty and legitimate trust" in the commitments of public authorities: "replicas of historic ships" such as the Shtandart were not covered by the provisions of the European Union regulation. But "none of these grounds are such as to allow the appeal to be admitted", the Council of State ruled in a judgment on Nov 18.

Captain of Shtandart hopes of exemption from sanctions against Russia

The captain of the 'Shtandart' hopes that the ship will be granted an exemption from the Russian sanctions, which will make it welcome in European ports again. The ship has been sailing outside Russia for almost three years. The captain does not want to return, but is not allowed to visit European ports. The wait is now on for the European Court, where an appeal against the sanctions has been filed. Since the sanctions against Russia, the ship is no longer welcome. Captain Vladimir Martoes is half Russian, half Ukrainian and has been living in Europe for 10 years. He previously stated that he is a fierce opponent of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He does not want to return to Russia with the ship, for fear that it will be seized and he himself will be arrested for his criticism of the regime. France currently tolerates the ship as long as it is at anchor and not moored in a port. It is currently in a bay near Bordeaux. The ship also sails with paying guests, which provides income. The volunteer crew members are all European and can go ashore with rubber dinghies to stock up on provisions. Bunkering with drinking water is a lot more difficult. This is done in ports where the ship is allowed to call occasionally, such as La Rochelle. The captain hopes for a permanent mooring, so that he can build up a life somewhere. The Zaans Erfgoed Association already approached the municipality of Zaanstad to arrange a permanent mooring for the 'Shtandart' in Zaandam, but was refused. The hope now is that the ship will soon fall under an exception clause: Russian ships with a humanitarian mission are welcome in European ports. The crew already set up a project for medical aid and aid to children in Ukraine, but Brussels did not see this as a humanitarian mission. The captain has objected to this, but no decision has been made yet.. Sailing under a different flag is not an option, because a Russian ship that changes flag at this time will not escape sanctions.