Summer 2025 : Russian ship « Shtandart » plans to violate UK port sanctions.

The Shtandart, a Russian-sanctioned propaganda ship, has scheduled numerous illegal stopovers in British ports during July 2025. The Secretary of State for Transport, the maritime authorities, the Coastguard and the British press are to be alerted in order to enforce the restrictive measures taken following the outbreak of the genocidal large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

After more than three years of fraud, the Shtandart must be banned from the territorial waters of the countries it targets voluntarily or by order. Should the ship commit a new offense, its skipper and hidden owner, Vladimir Martus — who has links to the presidential administration and Russian propaganda agencies — should be arrested and deported to his country of origin. The Shtandart should then be escorted, at the expense of the shipowner and charterer, to Russia or a country without port sanctions.

Attachments

Notes

1. When does Shtandart plan to be in the UK?

La Rochelle (France): 25/06/2025
Saint-Malo (France): 02/07/2025 – 02/07/2025
- FALMOUTH (UK) (see attachment 1)
- Dublin (EI) (see attachment 1)
- ISLE OF MAN (UK) (see attachment 1)
ABERDEEN (UK): 20/07/2025 – 21/07/2025
Kristiansand (Norway): 31/07/2025 – 01/08/2025
Esbjerg (Denmark): 08/08/2025 – 09/08/2025
Sandefjord (Norway): 15/08/2025 – 17/08/2025
Stavanger (Norway): 23/08/2025 – 25/08/2025
Ostende (Belgium): 01/09/2025 – 01/09/2025
Saint-Malo (France): 05/09/2025 – 05/09/2025
La Rochelle (France): 11/09/2025 – 20/09/2025
Portugalete (Spain): 26/09/2025 – 28/09/2025
Cascais (Portugal): 05/10/2025 – 05/10/2025
Tangier (Morocco): 10/10/2025

All the UK potential destinations mentioned on the Shtandart’s website and Facebook page are Falmouth, the Isle of Man, the Caledonian Canal, Loch Ness, the Hebrides, the Pentland Firth, the Orkney Islands, Cape Wrath and Aberdeen.

From Aberdeen to Kristiansand and from Kristiansand to Esbjerg, the Shtandart says it will join the « Tall Ships Races ».

Shtandart's summer 2025 tour — *Shtandart*‘s summer 2025 tour

With this link, an interactive map. You can scroll, zoom, and click on routes or ports for accessing more details. However, because Shtandart‘s plans are constantly changing, make sure you have up-to-date information by checking its website: Sail with Shtandart.

This video was created by the Shtandart team for advertising purposes and was initially posted on the ‘Shtandart Project’ Facebook page on 28/06/2025. Please note that port calls are prohibited for the Shtandart in the United Kingdom due to UK sanctions, and in Ireland due to EU sanctions. Note also the pirate flag on the ‘ship’. This is further evidence of the Shtandart’s outlaw status, and of Vladimir Martus’s disdain for the regulations and authorities of the countries he visits.

2. Illegal sales: how does Shtandart behaves against law, judicial decisions, institutions and authorities of countries visited?

The Russian vessel Shtandart is scheduled to arrive in Saint-Malo on July 2, 2025. This would violate the prefectural order of August 23, 2024, and Article 3ea of Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014¹, which was enacted as part of the fifth round of sanctions² imposed for the Bucha massacre³.

These provisions were confirmed by a letter of EU Commission⁴ to the collective « No Shtandart in Europe », by the Rennes (FR) Administrative Court⁵, on 11 July 2024, and by France’s Council of State⁶, on 18 November 2024.

On 14 June 2025, the “No Shtandart in Europe » collective alerted the prefect of the Ille-et-Vilaine department, which includes Saint-Malo, to the imminent arrival of the Russian vessel. On 19 June 2025, the prefect confirmed that the Shtandart had been banned from all ports in his department.

Ukrinform, 20/06/2025 – Russian ship Shtandart banned from several French ports.

However, as of 23 June 2025, the Shtandart continues to sell cruises departing from or arriving in Saint-Malo.

3. What does UK legislation say about port sanctions for Russian ships?

Access to British ports is forbidden for « a ship owned, controlled, chartered or operated by persons connected with Russia » and/or for « a ship flying the Russian flag ».

On 28 February 2022, the British Secretary of State for Transport published an instruction closing UK ports for Russian ships. This instruction was quickly passed into UK legislation on 1 March 2022. What refers to Shtandart can be found here :

The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2022 Regulation 6, Prohibition on port entry, 57A – See attachment 2
The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2022 Regulation 6, Interpretation of Part 6, 57I – See attachment 3
The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, Ships: exceptions from prohibition on port entry 61A – See attachment 4

4. Why does the Shtandart fall within the scope of UK sanctions?

4.1. Shtandart is a Russian shadow property.

Until the middle of the first semester of 2024, the Shtandart was owned by the Saint Petersburg–based company “Shtandart Project”⁷, of which Vladimir Martus owns over 60%. Martus is a Russian citizen⁸. He was born, grew up, and studied in Saint Petersburg. He is the skipper and de facto owner of the ship. The Shtandart is now reportedly owned by a nominee: Mariia Martus⁹, Vladimir Martus’s daughter. She studied in Helsinki and obtained Finnish citizenship.

Martus has registered the trademark « Shtandart”¹⁰ ¹¹. He intends to use it as he pleases. He is now threatening legal action against anyone who mentions the name « Shtandart »¹², even for informational or reference purposes, if they contradict his narrative. He wants to censor any facts that might be made public that do not correspond to the fiction he is promoting about the Shtandart and himself for the purpose of deception.

As evidenced by its website¹³, the Shtandart‘s commercial services are invoiced and collected by the company “Martus TV GmbH”¹⁴, which is controlled and managed by Vladimir Martus, This limited liability company, domiciled in Hamburg under German law, is often misrepresented as an association to appeal to the public’s generosity. For example, the Shtandart claimed it was short on cash for its winter 2024/2025 dry docking and maintenance. It demanded public financial support via “Martus TV GmbH”¹⁵.

Regardless of whether one is interested in its de jure or de facto owner, the Shtandart is a private commercial yacht. It is neither an association vessel nor a foundation-owned vessel, as is widely and falsely claimed. Furthermore, clients boarding the ship cannot be legally considered passengers. They are booked as « trainees » to bypass SOLAS convention requirements.

4.2. Shtandart and its registration flags

The Shtandart was registered under the Russian flag until June 6, 2024, when it shifted to the flag of the Cook Islands¹⁶. According to Article 3ea §2 of Regulation (EU) No 833/2014, changing the country of registration does not exempt the ship from EU sanctions. Nevertheless, despite its false allegation that it no longer has any links with Russia, the propagandist continues to fly the Russian imperial flag at the top of the mainmast. This was visible throughout the recent « Gulf of Morbihan Week 2025 » (May 26 to June 1, 2025). Moreover, Vladimir Marus continues to cultivate close ties with Russian interests.

Shtandart, "Gulf of Morbihan Week 2025" (May 26 to June 1, 2025) — **Russian imperial flag** : « Gulf of Morbihan Week 2025 » (May 26 to June 1, 2025)

4.3. Shtandart, Vladimir Martus, and Russian Interests

Martus claims to be an « opponent » of the Russian regime. In fact, he is close to the Russian regime and its propaganda outlets. The following is the documented and sourced result of the collective « No Shtandart for Europe » research:

« Shtandart, » 2009: Vladimir Martus’s refusal to comply with safety regulations was falsely presented as political opposition to Putin’s regime.
In October 2021, Vladimir Martus and the « Shtandart » undertook a diplomatic mission with Putin’s sponsorship and financing.
From 2007 to 2022, a Russian bibliography of Martus shows his status as a non-opponent and as a Russian public figure.
DOSSIER. The Shtandart, propaganda organs and Russian media. (Summer 2024: Vladimir Martus gave interviews to Russian propaganda outlets: RIA Novosti, TASS, RBC, Izvestia, etc. He was presented as a national hero for fighting against the French authorities, sanctions, and European institutions in hundreds of Russian press articles).

It is also important to examine the in-depth work carried out by the Ouest-France Bretagne editorial team.

Additionally, it is worth reading:

Komsomolskaya Pravda, 06/08/2024 – Russian sailing ship “Standart” will make a third attempt to violate European sanctions (Ru).
Komsomolskaya Pravda, 15/08/2024 – “We do not agree”: the captain of the sailing ship “Standart” sues the European Union over sanctions (Ru)

If, as Vladimir Martus says, Standart is short on cash, one question arises: Who is paying for the frenzy of legal action launched by “Martus TV GmbH” and Vladimir Martus against the French authorities, the sanctions, and the European institutions?

The Shtandart is clearly « a ship owned, controlled, chartered or operated by persons connected with Russia« . Its actual flag is Russian.

5. How could the Shtandart bypass UK sanctions?

5.1. Unannounced dockings

We are alerting to the fact that, if the Shtandart is banned from entering a particular port, it will attempt to enter another neighboring port without prior notice. This is a practice that it has generalized since 2022 on the Iberian Peninsula. This is announced on its website for Saint-Malo, for example.

It tried to achieve an unannounced docking in Le Havre¹⁷ on May 4, 2025.

Due to this now-classic modus operandi, the Spanish maritime authorities expressly notified the Shtandart on July 24, 2024, that the ban applies to all ports in Spain.
Outono, 24/07/2024 – Spain vetoed the Russian frigate Shtandart, which intended to reach Vigo, in all its ports.

Failure to comply with these and other instructions resulted in the Russian vessel’s expulsion and complete banishment from Spanish territorial waters on July 27, 2024.
El Mundo, 27/07/2024 — Expulsan de aguas españolas a un velero ruso que fondeó en Galicia sin permiso.

“The historic frigate Shtandart, which was not permitted to enter EU ports due to pressure from pro-Ukrainian activists, departed Spanish territorial waters and headed to the open sea.” (Ru)
RBC, July 27, 2024 — РБК: исторический фрегат «Штандарт» покидает территориальные воды Испании

The Spanish authorities – their hands are tied by the decisions of the European Union, and we are going to challenge these decisions. “The Shtandart should sail the seas freely, seafaring in general should be free, the ocean is a zone of freedom, and this is what I personally fight for and what drives me in all these adventures with bans,” Martus told TASS. (Ru)
TASS, August 1, 2024 – Капитан фрегата « Штандарт » считает, что у властей Испании « связаны руки » решениями ЕС

5.2. « Humanitarian” Blackmail

We believe that, by implementing a method first used in Vigo in July 2022, the Shtandart will manipulate public opinion and the media through « humanitarian » blackmail. It will abuse paragraphs 1.a) and 2.b) of UK Regulation 61A, which states, « The prohibition in regulation 57A (1&2) (prohibition on port entry) is not contravened by providing a ship with access to a port if…the access is needed by the ship in case of emergency. » The Shtandart will use this method to force access to the port it desires. The Shtandart will argue that its crew does not have enough food and water to undertake the long journey to its next (forbidden) port of call.

The Shtandart was banned from calling by the Jersey government. As a result, the Channel Islands were removed from its schedule.
Jersey Evening Post, 26/06/2025 — Replica Russian frigate “caught in the storm of today’s geopolitics” denied entry to Jersey.

However, as mentioned previously, the Shtandart was formally notified in July 2024 of its prohibition from accessing Spanish ports and territorial waters. Nevertheless, it continues to sell cruises to Portugalete¹⁸ and from this port¹⁹ (September 26–28, 2025) on its website. Vladimir Martus disregards legal provisions. He makes cold calculations when it comes to destinations that are forbidden to him, confident in the power of his “humanitarian” blackmail, particularly if he has underage customers on board. The maritime authorities are often blamed in their national and Russian press for the twists and turns resulting from this fait accompli practice. They are insulted and taken to task, including in court, to force them to submit to the wishes of the Russian fraudster.

» The situation on the ship will deteriorate rapidly. They already have a water shortage. No state authority has the right to prohibit a ship from entering a port to obtain supplies,” said Hellequin, who previously represented the Brest seafarers’ union.
RIA Novosti, July 23, 2024 – На российском фрегате, который не пустили в порт во Франции, кончается вода

This morning, the captain of the Shtandart, Vladimir Martus, issued a desperate SOS alerting the maritime authorities. Drinking water is scarce, food is insufficient, and the impending 750-nautical-mile crossing to their next destination seems suicidal. Mechanical failures, supply shortages, and international sanctions endanger the lives of the eleven crew members.
Vigoe, July 29, 2024 — La fragata Shtandart clama por ayuda

Surprisingly, the skipper of the delinquent ship has never been prosecuted for deliberately endangering the lives of others. Nor has he ever been forbidden to take on passengers who are not adults, including nationals of the country he is visiting. He uses them as hostages in his deceptions. These are, however, avenues to explore in order to punish the perversity of his method.

6. How is it possible to put an end to this thuggish behavior?

To stop these abuses of the law and repeated infringements, we suggest that authorities in various countries follow Spain’s example. The Shtandart should be banned from their territorial waters²⁰. Before its final expulsion, the Russian vessel could be permitted to replenish its supplies with enough water, food, and fuel to reach a country without port sanctions. If the Shtandart does not wish to return to Russia, it can set sail for Tangier²¹, where it has docked twice since 2024 and is scheduled to dock again on October 10, 2025.

Subsequently, if the Shtandart continues to access prohibited waters and ports, Vladimir Martus should be arrested and expelled to Russia. The ship should then be sent to Russia or the next sanction-free port under the supervision of the second captain or a professional crew at the expense of the “owner”, Mariia Martus²², and the charterer, “Martus TV GmbH”. Vladimir Martus’s German residency permit²³ should be revoked.

Attachments

Attachment 1: UK stops and moorings

Attachment 2: port entry prohibition

The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2022 Regulation 6,
Prohibition on port entry, 57A

A person must not provide a ship to which this paragraph applies with access to a port in the United Kingdom, if the person knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that the ship is a ship to which this paragraph applies.
The master or pilot of a ship to which this paragraph applies must not cause or permit the ship to enter a port in the United Kingdom if the master or pilot knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that the ship is a ship to which this paragraph applies.
Paragraphs (1) and (2) are subject to Part 7 (Exceptions) (see, in particular, regulation 61A (ships: exceptions from prohibitions on port entry)).
A person who contravenes a prohibition in paragraph (1) or (2) commits an offence.
Paragraphs (1) and (2) apply to—
- (a) a ship owned, controlled, chartered or operated by a designated person,
- (b) a ship owned, controlled, chartered or operated by persons connected with Russia,
- (c) a ship flying the flag of Russia,
- (d) a ship registered in Russia, or
- (e) a specified ship.
In paragraph (5), a “designated person” means a person who is designated under regulation 5 for the purposes of the relevant regulations under this Part.

Attachment 3: port entry prohibition definitions

The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2022 Regulation 6,
Interpretation of Part 6, 57I

For the purposes of regulations 57A to 57H, a ship is—
- (a)“owned” by a person if—
  - (i) the legal title to the ship, or to any share in the ship, is vested in the person, or
  - (ii) the person has a beneficial interest in the ship or in any share in the ship; and
- (b)“controlled” by a person who is able to take decisions about its operation, including (but not limited to) decisions about the route the ship may take and the appointment of master or crew.
For the purposes of paragraph (1)(b), a ship is not “controlled” by its master or crew, unless that master or crew are designated persons under the relevant regulations of this Part.
Any reference in this Part to a legal title or other interest includes one held jointly with any other person or persons.
For the purposes of this Part—
- “beneficial interest” means any beneficial interest, however arising (whether held by trustee or nominee or arising under a contract or otherwise), other than an interest held by any person as mortgagee;
- “specified ship” means a ship specified by the Secretary of State under regulation 57F (specification of ships);
- “the relevant regulations of this Part” means regulations 57A, 57C, 57D and 57E.
For the purposes of this Part, a person is to be regarded as “connected with Russia” if the person is—
- (a) an individual who is, or an association or combination of individuals who are, ordinarily resident in Russia,
- (b)an individual who is, or an association or combination of individuals who are, located in Russia
- (c) a person, other than an individual, which is incorporated or constituted under the law of Russia, or
- (d)a person, other than an individual, which is domiciled in Russia.
Any expression used in this Part and in section 7 of the Act (shipping sanctions) has the same meaning in this Part as it has in that section.”

Attachment 4 : port entry prohibition exceptions

The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. Ships: exceptions from prohibition on port entry, 61A

The prohibition in regulation 57A(1) (prohibition on port entry) is not contravened by providing a ship with access to a port if—
- (a) a port entry direction has been given in relation to the ship under regulation 57C (movement of ships), or
- (b) the access is needed by the ship in a case of emergency.
The prohibition in regulation 57A(2) is not contravened by the entry into port of a ship if—
- (a) a port entry direction has been given in relation to the ship under regulation 57C, or
- (b) the entry is needed by the ship in a case of emergency.