A few days before one of the world’s largest maritime gatherings, the crew of the Russian sailing ship Shtandart learned that it would not be able to participate in the Brest festivities due to the extension of European sanctions due to the war in Ukraine.

Le Parisien reports that the Shtandart, a replica of Tsar Peter the Great’s frigate, will not be able to participate in the Brest Maritime Festival, due to a decree from the Finistère prefecture. The ship, whose Russian flag has been controversial for months, had to change it in the spring to that of the Cook Islands, at the request of the French authorities.

Despite this, the prefect of Finistère, “in conjunction with government authorities, issued an order prohibiting access to the port of Brest” against the Shtandart, according to a press release broadcast on Sunday evening and reported by France 3 Bretagne. This ban is based on the extension of European sanctions, decided on June 24, to “historical replica ships”. The ship “is therefore not authorized to access the port of Brest (…) or any other port in the department”, the prefecture specified.