🇬🇧 Letter to the President of the France-Ukraine Friendship Group at the National Assembly:

Dear Mr Attal,

The undersigned, Ukrainians and supporters of the Ukrainian cause, welcome your appointment as Chairman of the France-Ukraine Friendship Group at the French National Assembly. In this capacity, they bring to your attention the case of the vessel Shtandart. This imperialist propaganda tool, a replica of the first frigate built by Peter the Great, the sovereign whose legacy Vladimir Putin claims to use in his criminal war of aggression, has continued to circumvent, in France, the fifth round of sanctions imposed following the Bucha massacre for almost three years. They are asking for your help in obtaining a ban on the Russian vessel in French territorial waters, the only way to put an end to this violation of European regulations to the benefit of Russian interests.

As a result of a pervasive toxic narrative promoted by various networks of influence, the Shtandart's circumvention of restrictive measures was developed and encouraged by the National Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (DNRED), the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGAMPA) and the General Secretariat for the Sea (SGMer). As a result, Vladimir Martus, who is close to the Russian government, captain and de facto owner of the Shtandart, was able to act with complete impunity for a long time, despite numerous warnings from civil society.

However, while you were Prime Minister of France, significant progress was made towards restoring the rule of law in this case. We are very grateful to you for this.

• On 24 June 2024, the European Council, through Decision (CFSP) 2024/174418 and Regulation (EU) 2024/1745, reiterated that the Shtandart was indeed subject to port sanctions as a ‘replica of historic ship’.

• On 7 July 2024, the Prefect of Finistère, despite SGMer's pro-Shtandart stance, issued an order applying the European ban to all ports in his department.

• On 11 July 2024, the Atlantic Maritime Prefect also rejected pressure from SGMer and dispatched a patrol boat to block the Shtandart, which was trying to force its way into the Roadstead of Brest.

• On 11 July 2024, the Rennes Administrative Court rejected the application for suspension of the Finistère prefect's order filed by Thierry Clerc, counsel for the Shtandart.

• On 14 August 2024, the Prefect of La Manche issued an order applying the European ban to all ports in his department.

• On 23 August 2024, the Prefect of Ille-et-Vilaine issued an order applying the European ban to all ports in his department.

Nevertheless, on 11 July 2024, Thierry Clerc told the Rennes Administrative Court that ‘The Prime Minister, the Directorate of Maritime Affairs... have all been saying for two years that it [Shtandart] is not subject to European Union regulations.’ The newspaper ‘Mer et Marine’, reporting his words, adds that ‘The Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, had in fact “contacted” the Shtandart on 16 April 2024 to “change its flag” at the “request of the French government”’.

This is, of course, false. It was not a request from the Prime Minister, but an email sent by Éric Turquet de Beauregard, an employee of SGMer. This fact becomes particularly shocking if we remember that, according to European instructions, SGMer is not responsible for applying port sanctions or granting any derogations. All the more so as paragraph 2 of Article 3ea of Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 stipulates that a vessel that exchanged its Russian flag for that of another country, after 24 February 2022, remains subject to the restrictive measures. 

Subsequently, on 18 November 2024, the French Council of State rejected the Shtandart's appeal requesting the suspension of the enforcement of the order of 7 July 2024 issued by the Prefect of Finistère. 

Yet, despite clarification from the European Council and court rulings, as explained in detail in a letter to the European Commission, the Shtandart continues to violate European regulations.The fraud is particularly blatant in La Rochelle, where the Russian ship continues to enjoy privileges granted by Brice Blondel, Prefect of Charente-Maritime.

‘Union of Ukrainians in France’ and “No Shtandart in Europe” collective, 12/02/2025 - Sanctions alert: in La Rochelle, the Russian vessel Shtandart continues to circumvent EU regulations, despite the clarification from the European Council and the decision by the French Council of State

Paragraph 4 of Article 3ea of Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 relating to the safety of human life at sea is regularly misused to ‘justify’ ‘technical stopovers’ or ‘refuelling stopovers’, or even with the aim of taking on board paying passengers or organising paying visits and receptions on board. As long as no authority opposes Vladimir Martus's choice to remain stationary off French shores, he will be able to use harassment and humanitarian media blackmail as he pleases to force his way into French ports, using passengers and crew as willing hostages.

To put an end to these abuses, we appeal to you to ensure that the Russian vessel is banned and expelled from French territorial waters, as the Spanish authorities did on 27 July 2024, because of its offences. Your participation in bringing this scandalous affair to a close would be greatly appreciated in France, Spain and Ukraine.

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you require any further information.

Yours faithfully,

Signatories:

Union des Ukrainiens de France, President,
Jean-Pierre Pasternak
jppasternak@union-ukr-fr.fr, + 33 686 320 498

and

🇪🇦 Spain

1. Aga-Ucraína, La Coruña (Es), Asociación Galega de Axuda a Ucraína - Association which, in July 2024, was responsible for the Spanish maritime authorities issuing a formal ban on the ‘Shandart’ docking in Spanish ports, leading to the cancellation of its participation in the ‘Iacobus Maris Experience 2024’ in Vigo, and to the subsequent banning of the Russian vessel from all Spanish territorial waters - Maria Pavlenko - President 

2. AUG Girasol, Vigo (Es), in 2022, the “Asociación de ucranianos en Galicia” was behind the banning of the Shtandart's participation in Vigo's Ruta Iacobus Maris and the cancellation of its stopover in A Coruña - Marta Skyba - President

3. Ayuda Ucrania Dénia, Denia (Sp), association that obtained the cancellation of the ‘Shandart’'s stopover in Dénia in April 2024 - Vira Pidkovych - President

4. Kalyna, Castellón (Sp), association that obtained the cancellation of the ‘Shandart’'s participation in “Escala a Castelló” in April 2024  - Oksana Vovk Simon - President

5. Ucrania-Euskadi, Bilbao (Sp), association for socio-cultural cooperation and development between Ukraine and the Basque Country, active in the provinces of Araba, Vizcaya and Guipúzcoa, with cultural centres in Donostia, Bilbao, Vitoria and Errenteria - Oksana Demyanovich - President

6. Ucranianos de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares (Sp), hispanic-ukrainian association - Andrii Modrytskyi - President

7. Ucranianos en Cartagena, Cartagena (Sp), hispanic-ukrainian association - Oleksandr Nohachevskyi - President
   
   

🇨🇵 France

8. Acor Nice (Fr),Russian Orthodox Religious Association independent of Moscow and on trial with the russian federation for over 19 years - Tatiana Chirinsky Abolin, treasurer - Alexis Obolensky, president. 

9. Advule, Saint Amand-Longpré (Fr), Association of WW2 Descendants of Ukrainian Volunteers of the Foreign Legion - Annick Bilobran-Karmazyn - President

10. AFUCA, Nice (Fr), Franco-Ukrainian Association Côte d'Azur - Irina Podyryako - President

11. Aide et Support, Fresnes (Fr), humanitarian association - Dmytro Tsapenko - President

12. Aide médicale caritative France-Ukraine, Magny-les-Hameaux (Fr), medical support for victims of the Russian war in Ukraine - Dmytro Atamanyuk - Président

13. Alliance Ukraine Bretagne, Santec (Fr), Ukrainian-Breton association  - Yuliya Chambaudie - President

14. Anjou-Lviv Ukraine, Angers (Fr) ‘Les Joyeux Petits Souliers’ - Yves Chevalier - President

15. Ar Vro Ukren, Brest (Fr), Ukrainian-Breton association - Mariya Nalin - President

16. Atlantique Côte d'Amour-Ukraine In Europe, Pornichet (Fr), franco-ukrainian association - Karim Lounici - President

17. Bretagne Ukraine, Brest (Fr), Ukrainian-Breton association - Sofiya Leonova - President

18. Ukrainian Resource Center, Narbonne (Fr), franco-ukrainian association - Olena Vyshnevska - President

19. Denis Diderot Committee, Paris (Fr), international network of academics, experts and professionals set up in March 2022 for the free flow of information, without war propaganda, between Europe and the Russian Federation - André Lange - Coordinator

20. Children of Ukraine, Mathieu (Fr), Franco-Ukrainian association - Tatiana Dehaye - President

21. Provence Franco-Ukrainian Fraternity, Marseille (Fr), franco-ukrainian association - David Sanchez - President

22. Nantes Ukraine Forum, Nantes (Fr), Forum of Ukrainian Associations of Western France - Bernard Grua - Coordinator

23. Ideas without borders, Cannes and Paris (Fr), franco-ukrainian association - Mariya Kutchirka - President

24. Iroise-Ukraine, Brest (Fr), main association responsible for the application of the European ban on the Shandart to all ports in Finistère - Christophe Gales - President

25. Kobza, Saint-Nazaire (Fr), association of the musical group Mriya, organisation of concerts to collect humanitarian aid, organisation of a music school - Bohdan Smakula - President

26. Lumière de Vie'nnytsia, Benet (Fr), French-Ukrainian association - Olivier Piron - President 

27. Lyon-Ukraine, Lyon (Fr), French-Ukrainian association - Marta Dropa - President

28. The cultural spaces of Western and Eastern Europe, Paris (Fr) - Oksana Lychkovska-Nebot - President & Associate Professor at the University of Odessa.

29. Mriya Ukraine, Grenoble (Fr), franco-ukrainian association - Vikoriia Michniewicz - President

30. No Shtandart in Europe, Nantes (Fr) - Bernard Grua - Coordinator, former international spokesperson for ‘No Mistrals for Putin’.

31. Ukrainian Perspectives, Montigny-le-Bretonneux (Fr), association promoting Ukraine in all its diversity and aspirations - Lesya Darricau-Dmytrenko - President

32. Solidarity Brittany Ukraine, Rennes (Fr), Ukrainian-Breton association - Illia Samotoi - President

33. Solidarity Ukraine 95, Val d'Oise (Fr), franco-ukrainian collective - Florence Chambon - Coordinator

34. SOS Montpellier Ukraine, Montpellier (Fr), franco-ukrainian association  - Lyudmyla Tsivka - President

35. Toloka, Nantes (Fr), franco-ukrainian socio-cultural centre - Svitlana Vasylenko - President

36. Tryzub, Nantes (Fr), franco-ukrainian association - Victoria Atamenko Egorov - President

37. Ukraine 33, Lyon (Fr), association for the historical recognition of the famine-genocide of 1933 - Mykola Cuzin - President

38. Ukraine Amitié, Bordeaux (Fr), franco-ukrainian association - Oleksandra Sergeiva - President

39. Ukraine Au Mans, Le Mans (Fr), franco-ukrainian association - Oxana Romanenko - President

40. Ukraine-Grenoble-Isère (UGI), Grenoble (Fr), French-Ukrainian association - Tetyana Lyubchyk - President

41. Ukraine Southern Brittany, Quéven (Fr), Ukrainian-Breton association - Tetiana Richter - President (Fr)  

42. Ukraine Saintonge, Saintes (Fr), franco-ukrainian association  - Asia Millet-Kovalenko - President

43. Ukrainian World Congress, Paris (Fr), international organisation for Ukrainian diaspora communities representing more than 20 million Ukrainians - Volodymyr Kogutyak - Vice President for Western Europe 

44. Union of Ukrainians in Brittany, Rennes (Fr), franco-ukrainian association - Iryna Laskava - President

45. Union Of Ukrainian Women in Belgium, Bruxelles (Be), a non-profit organization created in 1948 - Natalia  Ostach - President

46. Unis pour l'Ukraine 56, Lorient (Fr), franco-ukrainian association - Emmanuelle Trocadéro - President

47. Unis pour l'Ukraine, Paris (Fr), franco-ukrainian geopolitical think-tank - Oxana Melnychuk - Directrice 

48. Vesna 64, Pau (Fr), franco-ukrainian association - Lyuba  Nakonechna - President

49. Vilna Ukraïna, Boulogne-sur-Mer (Fr), franco-ukrainian association - Olena Bresson - President

50. Vyshyvanka, Angers (Fr), Franco-Ukrainian association - Oksana Huyard - President
    
    

🇺🇦 Ukraine

51. Friends of Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital,  (Ukr) - Michel Tereshchenko - President of the association and mayor of Hlukhiv (2015-2020)

52. Arthouse Traffic film company, Kyiv (Ukr), producer-distributor, member of the European Film Academy and the National Academy of Ukrainian Cinema, founder of the Odessa International Film Festival and ‘Children Kinofest’, known in particular for Donbass (2018), Rhinoceros (2021) and The Tribe (2014) - Dennis Ivanov - President

53. Centre for French language and culture, Paris-IF, Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukr) - Sergii Ieromin - Director

54. Chervona Kalyna, Kharkiv (Ukr), Foundation providing aid to civilians fleeing villages bombed by russians - Lyudmila Katkova - Director 

55. CHR - Centre for Historical Research and Reconstruction, Odesa (Ukr) - Director O. Astrokhovych, Captain of the ship Anna Yaroslavna S. Ryabokon, Secretary/Assistant Captain S. Zambriborshch

56. European Club “Astre” of the Central Ukrainian Science High School, Kropyvnytskyi (Ukr) - Coordinator, Olga Berlin - President Anna Hrytsenko 

57. French Club of Lviv, Lviv (Ukr) - Liana Benquet - Coordinator

58. Kish, Lviv (Ukr), Cossack cultural association - Taras Beniakh - President, Otaman of tchaika Presvyata-Pokrova

59. Listvytsya, Lviv (Ukr), Public organisation of the city of Lviv - Maksym Tuhanov, manager - Bohdana Raichert president

60. NGO “The Art of Cinema”, Kiyv (Ukr) - Dennis Ivanov - Legal representative

Join us !