For more than three years, the fictional story of the Russian ship Shtandart, which was designed to circumvent sanctions imposed as a result of Russia’s criminal aggression against Ukraine, has been protean. It is constantly fed to maximise confusion. Here, we will focus on debunking the most commonly used misinformation from the summer of 2025.
The Greek diplomatic mission performed by the Shtandart in October 2021 was organised by the Russian embassy in Greece. It was conducted under the auspices of Vladimir Putin and financed by the grant fund of the presidential administration — Putin’s personal fund.
In summer 2024, hundreds of articles were published by propaganda outlets and Russian newspapers. The Shtandart was referred to as the ‘Russian ship’ or the ‘Russian frigate’, even after the change of registration country from Russia to the Cook Islands on 6 June 2024.
Last but not least, the press release from the Russian Consulate in Edinburgh published by TASS makes clear to everyone that this extraordinary, rough and undiplomatic statement is a violent positiontaking in favour of a Russian asset.
The Shtandart continues to fly frequently a large Russian imperial flag on top of its main mast.
Russian imperial flag : « Gulf of Morbihan Week 2025 » (May 26 to June 1, 2025)
It is also possible to check the Shtandart’s profiles on Marine Traffic and Vessel Finder. Although these accounts were created after the Shtandart was registered in the Cook Islands, they show the ship flying the Russian national flag, the Russian imperial flag and the Russian war flag.
‘The Shtandartis owned by a Finn and operated by a German company.’
In fact, the official Shtandart property was transferred from the Saint Petersburg-based company ‘Shtandart Project’ to Mariia Martus in 2024. This young daughter ofVladimir Martus is a Russian citizen. She studied in Helsinki and, then, obtained a Finnish passport.
The ‘German’ company ‘Martus TV GmbH’ is registered in Hamburg at a PO Box address. Vladimir Martus, a Russian citizen, owns 80% of its shares. The remaining 20% of shares are held by another Russian citizen, Irina Ermakova, who is Vladimir Martus’s wife. According to Martus’s own declaration (attached below), ‘Martus TV GmbH’ is the « managing owner » of the Shtandart. Vladimir Martus is also the director of ‘Martus TV GmbH’. Now you understand who is actually the de facto Russian owner of the private yacht Shtandart.
‘An international team of sailing enthusiasts’
In every conflict, there are collaborators. It’s nothing new. But in the case of the Shtandart, it might be even simpler. The young people I met in Brest, on 16 July 2024, are losers in real life. They are pleased to be under the dominance of their guru, Vladimir Martus. They don’t think for themselves. These brainwashed worshippers repeat the language elements prepared by Martus. After two or three sentences, however, they get lost. They start repeating Moscow’s anti-Western and Ukrainian-phobic rhetoric. The Shtandart is a formidable Russification machine.
‘He left the country over a decade ago, and from what I hear, not even on good terms.’
In 2007, Vladimir Martus violated Russian security regulations. He violated them again in 2009. That’s why he fled abroad. However, Martus proclaimed on Instagram, VK, Facebook, the Shtandart website and Russian media in July 2020 that everything had been resolved.
Martus diplomatic mission in Greece proves that he is on very good terms with the Russian authorities. This is evident, for example, in the RT documentary produced in 2014.
After 2020, the Shtandart could return to Russia. However, Martus found it more lucrative to perform at European festivals. Don’t forget that the Neva river is frozen for more than four months of the year. This is not conducive to business, not to mention the other missions he could be in charge of in western Europe. Nevertheless, we have evidence that Martus was in Saint Petersburg between the beginning of January and February 2022, i.e. a few days before the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Кораблик встал на межсезонный ремонт в греческом городе Каристос. А я приехал домой – трудно поверить, но – первый раз за 12 лет. Телефон тот же что и был, я здесь до середины февраля.
The ship is in the off-season repair in the Greek town of Karystos. And I came home – hard to believe, but – for the first time in 12 years. Phone is the same as it was, I’m here until mid-February.
The Shtandart never officially had the status of a training ship. However, until 2007, it did carry out a similar assignment for the Saint Petersburg Political Committee for Youth. Its aim was to promote Russian patriotism.
Учебные плавания на фрегате « Штандарт » входят в программу « Школа жизни – паруса Истории », поддержанную комитетом по молодежной политике и связям с общественными организациями администрации Санкт-Петербурга.
Training voyages on the frigate ‘Standart’ are part of the programme ‘School of Life – Sails of History’ supported by the political committee for Youth and Relations with Public Organisations of St. Petersburg Administration.
Since then, the Shtandart has acted in accordance with its actual status as a privately owned yacht, paid for attending maritime events. Between festivals, the Shtandart carries paying passengers, who are called ‘trainees’, in order to bypass the SOLAS convention.
Graduated from Paris "Institut d'Etudes Politiques", financial auditor, photographer, founder and spokesperson of the worldwide movement which opposed to the delivery of Mistral invasion vessels to Putin's Russia, contributor to French and foreign media for culture, heritage and geopolitics.
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