Two Russian citizens working for a private security company were on board a tanker seized by French authorities in September, suspected of being part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”, according to the French press, quoted by Euronews.
According to informed sources and a lawyer who spoke to AFP under the protection of anonymity, the two men were employees of Moran Security Group, a private Russian company founded by former officers of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). The men, aged 34 and 40, were tasked with monitoring the crew and collecting information while on board the Boracay ship.
One of them is said to be a former policeman and had previously worked for the Russian paramilitary organization Wagner.
Henri de Richemont, the captain’s lawyer, confirmed the presence of the two Russian citizens on board. “There were two Russian citizens on board the ship,” he told AFP, specifying that they were not crew members. “My client has no connection with their presence,” he added. “He did not bring the Russians on board his ship.”
Their role was “to ensure the protection of the ship and, above all, to ensure that the captain strictly follows the orders given in accordance with Russia’s interests,” a French source quoted by Euronews said. They also collected “information,” she specified.