Russian frigate allowed to dock in Spain despite sanctions

The Russian frigate "Shtandart," whose crew was left without food and water, received permission for an emergency entry into a Spanish port. The frigate may enter solely to replenish supplies and perform urgent repairs and must immediately return to open waters.

According to the Spanish department's press service, despite sanctions, the Spanish Merchant Navy administration allowed the Russian sailing frigate "Shtandart" to enter the kingdom to replenish supplies and replace certain ship parts.

"The department allowed the forced entry of the ship 'Shtandart' only for the time necessary to carry out the supply and replacement operations, which must be done immediately upon arrival so that the ship's departure takes place as soon as possible," the statement reads.

It has not been specified to which port the frigate may dock, but it was previously located near the coast of the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain.

According to the newspaper "Faro de Vigo," the crew of "Shtandart" might have entered the port in the small village of See.

In an interview with RIA Novosti, the frigate's captain said: "We had long conversations with the Spanish authorities regarding the emergency entry. We obtained permission. Now we are just approaching the pier. We need to refuel and move on," said the ship's captain, Vladimir Martus. He explained that the boat "has no food or water."

The vessel waited on the water for 10 days to obtain permission to enter. It was turned away from both Spain and France. According to Spanish media, there are currently 11 people on board, including minors.

The ship's crew has difficulty entering ports due to sanctions introduced at the end of June. The frigate arrived in the EU to participate in a festival.

Since April 2022, ships sailing under the Russian flag have been banned from entering EU ports. However, the Russians wanted to circumvent the sanction and changed the flag under which "Shtandart" sails from Russian to the Cook Islands.

"Shtandart" is a faithful replica of the warship built by Peter I in 1703 to defend St. Petersburg. The modern "Shtandart" was built in 1999. The frigate has long sailed the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.