Paris, Oct. 5 -- The captain of an oil tanker believed to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" of vessels used to evade sanctions has been charged by French authorities.

The Chinese national was handed one count of refusing to follow instructions from the French navy and told to attend a court hearing in the northern coastal city of Brest next February, reports BBC.

The Boracay left Russia last month and was off the coast of Denmark when unidentified drones forced the temporary closure of several airports last week.

The tanker was earlier boarded by French soldiers because it was on a list of vessels subject to EU sanctions for carrying Russian oil exports. Russian President Vladimir Putin called France's actions "piracy".

The Kremlin had...