A sneaky arrival
Long accustomed to the cheers of maritime festival enthusiasts, the Shtandart discreetly approached the island of Aix (Charente-Maritime) on August 30, after having wandered all summer off the coast of Brittany. Once again, this historic Russian ship and its crew of seven sailors – five Russians, one Belgian and one French – are forbidden from reaching the coast. It has been two and a half years since the Shtandart is being tossed from port to port across Europe, a victim of European sanctions that have hit Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. “What is happening to us is very unfair, the situation of the boat is critical and the crew is suffering,” Captain and owner Vladimir Martus is alarmed, contacted by M The World Magazine.
An international pride
Built by volunteers between 1994 and 1999 to train young Russians in traditional navigation, this 34-metre-long three-masted 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,” says Captain Vlamidir Martus. The Shtandart can be spotted from afar thanks to its imposing size, its orange hull and the lion wearing a golden crown that serves as its figurehead. Since its launch in 2000, the ship has regularly participated in large gatherings of old sailing ships such as the one in Brest, the Armada in Rouen or the Grandes Voiles in Le Havre.
A victim of war
THE Shtandart was wintering peacefully off the coast of Greece when the Russian army invaded Ukraine. Several Ukrainian sailors then left the boat to join the front. In April 2022, the closure of European ports to ships flying the Russian flag is decreed, which leads to the cancellation of its summer tour. In the crosshairs of several pro-Ukrainian associations, the sailboat has since experienced a succession of rebuffs, such as in April in Castellón, Spain, where it was deemed undesirable as almost everywhere else 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 from Putin's friends who wanted to seize the ship,” he pleads, highlighting the change of flag of the Shtandart, which has been sailing under the Cook Islands flag since spring.
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Source: Lemonde
