Putin calls France's boarding of tanker 'piracy'

SOCHI, Oct 2 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday condemned France's boarding of a tanker suspected of being part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," calling the operation an act of piracy. Putin said he was unsure whether the vessel was in any way connected to Russia, and accused France of staging the incident to try to distract attention from what he called the very difficult political situation in the country. French police have arrested the Chinese captain of the tanker, authorities said on Thursday. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin Writing by Maxim Rodionov Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

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