Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow would retaliate if European countries seize Russian merchant vessels, describing such action as “piracy and banditry” amid growing European efforts to target Russia’s so called shadow fleet.
According to Reuters, Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would respond in kind if European governments put tougher maritime enforcement measures into practice against Russian linked ships suspected of evading sanctions.
“We will be forced to respond in kind,” Putin said, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS.
He warned that any Russian response would not necessarily be confined to the waters where Russian vessels were seized, saying Moscow could act “wherever we deem it necessary and appropriate.”
The comments come as the European Union increases pressure on Russia’s shadow fleet, a network of vessels accused of helping Moscow circumvent sanctions and transport oil and other commodities. European governments have expanded sanctions against hundreds of vessels and have carried out checks and detentions involving some ships and their crews.
Putin made the remarks while visiting Sakhalin in Russia’s Far East, where he was observing military exercises. He also accused NATO of expanding its presence in the Asia Pacific and increasing military tensions in the Arctic.
The warning adds to tensions between Russia and European countries, with maritime enforcement emerging as another potential area of confrontation alongside the war in Ukraine and Western sanctions against Moscow.
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