A stealthy arrival
Long accustomed to the cheers of lovers of maritime festivals, the standard It discreetly approached the island of Aix (Charente Maritime) on August 30, after having wandered all summer off the Breton coast. Once again, this historic Russian ship and its crew of seven sailors – five Russians, one Belgian and one Frenchman – are forbidden to reach the coast. It has been two and a half years since the standard It is being thrown from port to port across Europe, a victim of European sanctions that have hit Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. “What is happening to us is very unfair. The ship is in critical condition and the crew is suffering.” alarm the captain and shipowner Vladimir Martus, accompanied by METRO the world magazine.
International Pride
Built by volunteers between 1994 and 1999 to train young Russians in traditional sailing, this three-masted, 34-metre-long ship is an exact replica of a frigate of the former Russian Tsar Peter the Great. “The ship was built using English shipbuilding methods, so it also embodies European heritage,” specifies Captain Vladimir Martus. THEhtanart It can be seen from afar thanks to its imposing size, its orange hull and the lion with a golden crown that serves as its figurehead. Since its launch in 2000, the ship has regularly participated in important meetings of old platforms such as the Brest, the Rouen Armada or Les Grandes Voiles du Havre.
A victim of war
HE standard He was spending the winter peacefully off the coast of Greece when the Russian army invaded Ukraine. Then several Ukrainian sailors left the ship to join the front. In April 2022, the closure of European ports to Ships with Russian flag The decree was issued, leading to the cancellation of its summer tour. In the crosshairs of several pro-Ukrainian associations, the yacht has since experienced a succession of rejections, as in April in Castellón, Spain, where it was considered undesirable as in almost every other place in Europe. Its captain, of Russian nationality but proud of his Ukrainian origins, nevertheless presents himself as an opponent of the regime, hostile to the war. “We left Russia in 2009 because we were already under attack by Putin’s friends who wanted to seize the ship.” –he pleads, highlighting the change of flag of the standard, which has been sailing under the Cook Islands flag since spring.
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