French authorities have let the ⁠seized oil tanker GRINCH leave territorial ‌waters after the company owning the vessel had to pay a penalty worth "several million euros," French Foreign ​Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on ⁠Tuesday.

Axar.az informs, citing Reuters, "Circumventing European sanctions ⁠comes at a price. Russia will no ⁠longer be ‌able to finance its war with impunity through a ghost ⁠fleet off our coasts," Barrot said in ​a ‌post on X.

The vessel named GRINCH was ⁠seized in ​the Mediterranean on last month, and then diverted to anchor off the French port ⁠city of Marseille, on suspicion ​of being part of the shadow fleet that lets Russia export oil despite sanctions.

The vessel ⁠had left the Russian port of Murmansk in early January, sailing under a Comoros flag, French authorities have said.