Russia warns Europe over ship seizures

A senior Russian official has warned that Moscow could deploy its navy to prevent European powers from seizing Russian vessels and may retaliate against European shipping if such actions continue.

Nikolai Patrushev, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said Russia views ship seizures as a direct threat to its access to global maritime routes. He stressed that naval forces remain the main guarantee of safe navigation, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

Western countries have imposed more than 30,000 sanctions on Russia in response to the war in Ukraine, aiming to limit trade flows and financial activity. Part of these efforts has included attempts to block or seize tankers suspected of transporting Russian oil.

In January, the United States seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker as part of measures linked to restrictions on Venezuelan oil exports.

Russian leadership has previously described such actions as piracy. Patrushev warned that failure to respond strongly could encourage further attempts by Western countries to restrict Russia’s maritime access, including in the Atlantic region.

He added that Russia believes maintaining a strong naval presence in key maritime zones, including areas far from Russian territory, is essential to protect shipping interests and deter what he described as Western pressure.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada