Open Letter to the Three Maritime Prefects of France: Challenging the Ban on Shtandart

Dear Maritime Prefects,

We acknowledge receipt of the inter-prefectoral decree and would like, through this letter, to provide a brief clarification of our situation and our position.

First and foremost, we wish to draw your attention to the history of the vessel. As you are aware, the TS Shtandart left its original home port of Saint Petersburg in 2009 for political reasons and has not returned to Russian waters since.

Since that time, the vessel has taken part in numerous maritime festivals and port events across Western Europe, including many in France, without ever attracting negative attention from the authorities or being associated in any way with support for the Russian government.

On the contrary, the TS Shtandart and her crew have built long-standing and trusting relationships with French ports, festival organizers, and the wider tall ships community. With an international crew often representing more than ten different countries, the vessel contributes to maritime training, cultural exchange, and the preservation of Europe’s shared maritime heritage.

When Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, this event deeply affected the crew. The captain and the entire crew unequivocally reject this war of aggression, as reflected in public statements. It is important to state clearly that neither the captain, nor the crew, nor the project has ever supported Russia’s war against Ukraine. This position is firm and fully aligned with the project’s fundamental rejection of all forms of hatred and violence, standing in stark contrast to its core mission: fostering international exchange and friendship at sea.

At the same time, it is important to understand that the captain and some members of the crew have families in Russia. Public political statements—especially in the absence of a secure home port in Western Europe—can entail personal risks not only for themselves but also for third parties, such as the Saint Petersburg shipyard where the vessel was originally built. In light of cases such as that of Alexei Navalny, these concerns are not theoretical, and such precautions remain necessary.

Furthermore, particularly since 2022, significant steps have been taken to distance the project from Russia and ensure its integration within the European framework:

* Change of flag: Russia → Cook Islands (06 June 2024)

* Change of ownership: transferred to Mariia Martus (Finnish and Russian nationalities, resident in Helsinki for over ten years)

* Captain’s residence: Germany (since 2011)

* Operator: MartusTV, Germany (since 2016), subject to European Union taxation

* Volunteer organization: France

In addition, the vessel:

* does not transport sanctioned goods such as oil or other strategic commodities;

* does not generate any revenue for the Russian state or entities under its control;

* has provided support to and hosted Ukrainian refugees.

In this context, we promptly complied with the recommendation of the French authorities to replace the Russian flag with that of the Cook Islands, which we have flown ever since. The 2024 European Union regulation explicitly referring to “replicas of historic ships” has also had a profound impact on us, as it appears to target the Shtandart directly by associating it with the so-called Russian “shadow fleet.” This results in a clearly disproportionate comparison, placing a 300-meter oil tanker transporting sanctioned oil on the same level as a small sail training vessel with no financial ties to Russia and openly opposed to the war.

This situation has placed the project in a particularly difficult position. Instead of continuing its participation in European maritime events, the vessel has had to turn to alternative activities to ensure its sustainability. It was in this context that a request from the Russian travel agency “Kombat Tours” was accepted, in the hope that a political solution might be found by June 2026 allowing a return to French ports. It should be noted that this voyage cancelled as early as December 2025.

We understand that information concerning the Shtandart has been communicated to the authorities by external parties, including Mr. Bernard Grua. In this regard, we respectfully note that serious allegations have been made publicly, linking the vessel to support for the Russian government. These claims are unfounded and do not reflect the reality of the project, its activities, or its position.

We would be grateful if you would assess such statements with the utmost caution and, where possible, compare them against established facts and the vessel’s public declarations.

Despite personal attacks and defamatory statements online, the Shtandart continues to enjoy strong and consistent support within the European tall ships community. French partners, organizers, and captains remain in close contact with us and express their wish to see the vessel return to European waters.

We would also like to emphasize that the TS Shtandart neither can nor wishes to return to Russia. Its objective is clearly to continue operating within the European maritime space, where it has been active for over fifteen years and where its network and community are based. Our intention is to resume and maintain this role within the European maritime community, and to return to France—particularly to La Rochelle, our adopted home port.

This letter is not intended to challenge your decision. We are aware that the situation ultimately depends on the interpretation and application of European Union law, which is currently subject to judicial review. Nevertheless, we respectfully ask you to consider our situation in its full factual context.

We remain entirely at your disposal for any further information or discussion and thank you for the time and attention you will devote to a careful review of our situation.

Yours faithfully,

Vladimir Martus

Captain of the TS Shtandart