Why did Michel Balique, president of ‘Friends of tall ships’ association, become collateral damage to the Russian vessel ‘Shtandart’?

Michel Balique, president of the Amis des grands voiliers – Sail Training Association France, is one of the two main French lobbyists for the Russian vessel Shtandart, which became a violation of European regulations on 16 April 2022, the date of application of the 5th round of the European sanctions imposed following the Bucha massacres. This activism on behalf of Russian interests has ruined his digital image, i.e. his reputation, and that of the association he chairs.

Russian vessel Shtandart – Letter to Mrs. Elisabeth Borne, Prime Minister – Request for cancellation of the derogation from sanctions.

Despite the 5th package of European sanctions, the Russian ship Shtandart enters Spanish and French ports by displaying an anti-Putinism without any real meaning, by instrumentalizing humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian populations victims of the Russian war, by promoting Russian soft power, and by appealing to the generosity of the public for its own benefit. Oleh Sentsov and Roman Suschenko, as well as about thirty Ukrainian organizations, ask Elizabeth Borne, Prime Minister of France, to put an end to this unjustifiable preferential treatment.