The frigate, which was not allowed into Spain and France, went in search of water

The crew of the historical frigate “Standart” lifted anchor and headed “closer to civilization” to replenish water and food supplies, the ship’s captain, Vladimir Martus, told RBC.

“We are raising anchor to move a little closer to civilization, to where we can get water and buy food. 20 miles (32.2 km), closer to the city of Viga (Spain). Let’s see what happens,” the captain said.

On July 23, he said that after the ship was refused to be allowed into French ports, a similar ban was issued by the Spanish authorities. In both France and Spain, “Standard” was supposed to participate in international sailing festivals. “There are 15 people on board from seven countries, we always have a very international crew. We have three teenagers, 13, 14 and 18 years old. After four days of passage there is very little food and water on board. We might have three or four days left. And it’s unclear what to do now,” Martus noted then.

“Standart” is a copy of the Russian historical frigate from the time of Peter I, built in 1999 by the “Project Shtandart” company. “At maritime festivals in European ports, the Shtandart invariably becomes the center of everyone’s attention. And its crew is looking forward to holidays, concerts, walks along the streets of new cities, communication with like-minded people from different countries,” says the description of the ship on the company’s website.

Earlier, the Outon portal reported that pro-Ukrainian activists of the public organization AGA Ukraina (Galician Association for Assistance to Ukraine ) wrote an appeal to the Sea Captaincy of the Spanish Vigo with a request to “prohibit the entry, parking and stopping of the ship “Standart” in the port of this city and any other port on the coast of Spain.

As Outon notes, since April 2022, EU ports have banned the entry of ships flying the Russian flag, but the Shtandart now flies the flag of the Cook Islands. This was noticed by pro-Ukrainian activists AGA Ukraina, who explained the change of flag as “fraud” and “an attempt to avoid sanctions.”

RUSSIA condemns Western sanctions and considers them illegal. The Russian Embassy in Spain is trying to sort out the situation around the frigate "Standard", the diplomatic mission reported yesterday. “The embassy has not received any requests from the ship’s crew or the shipowner for assistance in resolving the issue,” the embassy added.