Putin threatens retaliation for western seizures of Russian commercial vessels

The Russian president was speaking on a visit to a warship taking part in a naval exercise in the Pacific (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened retaliation for western seizures of its commercial vessels, describing them as “piracy”.

Speaking on a visit to a Russian warship taking part in a naval exercise in the Pacific, Mr Putin described the western moves to detain vessels linked to Russia as a breach of international maritime law.

“It’s nothing but piracy and robbery,” Mr Putin said.

“If this is done, we will be forced to respond in kind.”

He added that the Russian response would not necessarily come in the waters where the Russian ships were seized, noting that Moscow could retaliate “in any area where we see it as necessary and appropriate”, including in the Pacific.

The Pacific fleet chief, Admiral Viktor Liina, reported to Mr Putin that the navy was ready to start inspections of the commercial ships serving the “unfriendly nations”.

He noted that many of the ships operated by British, French and other European carriers fly the flags of other nations, effectively making them a “shadow fleet”.

“We have enough assets for inspection and detention of vessels of the unfriendly nations and their shadow fleet,” Admiral Liina told Mr Putin.

“We are ready to start performing the task.”

Russia is believed to be using a fleet of hundreds of ships to evade international sanctions imposed after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

The UK and France have detained tankers suspected of being of Russia’s “shadow fleet” shipping oil in violation of international sanctions.

The EU has sanctioned hundreds of “shadow fleet” ships.

Russia has recently started deploying warships to escort its commercial vessels.

Dmitry Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president in 2008-2012 to let Mr Putin observe term limits and is now deputy head of Russia’s security council, noted that many ships belonging to European carriers fly the so-called “flags of convenience” just like Russian carriers do.

“It means that by applying a symmetrical approach, which is only fair, Russia has the right to attack any merchant vessel belonging to hostile nations, whether in our waters or in neutral waters, provided there are reasonable grounds to suspect it is carrying cargo in the enemy’s interest, and that applies to any cargo,” Mr Medvedev said.

“There are a great many such vessels, and our military is capable of dramatically expanding operations well beyond the Black Sea basin.”