By Hammad Kahlun
Scandinavian news Finland
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday Seizures that Moscow will retaliate against Western seizures of Russian merchant vessels, and warned the response could come far from the waters where any seizure takes place.
Speaking during a visit to Pacific Fleet naval exercises near Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Putin called the detentions “piracy and robbery.”
What Putin said about Russia vessel seizures
Putin told reporters aboard the missile cruiser Varyag that some countries were violating international maritime law by restricting the movement of Russian-linked commercial ships and, in some cases, selling seized cargo.
“If this is done, we will be forced to respond in kind,” he said, according to the Associated Press.
He added that Russia’s response would not necessarily occur in the same waters where a seizure happens.
Instead, he said Moscow could act “in any area where we see it as necessary and appropriate,” specifically naming the Pacific Fleet’s zone of responsibility.
Pacific Fleet says it is ready to act
Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Viktor Liina briefed Putin that the fleet has the resources to inspect and detain vessels tied to what Russia calls the “shadow fleet” ships from unfriendly nations, including some flying third-country flags.
Admiral Liina told Putin the fleet has sufficient ships, equipment, and manpower to identify, board, and hold vessels linked to sanctioned countries and their sanctions-evasion fleet, and said the Pacific Fleet is fully prepared to begin carrying out these inspections.
Key facts
- Putin spoke Wednesday aboard the Varyag missile cruiser during Pacific Fleet exercises near Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
- He called Western vessel seizures “piracy and robbery” and pledged a reciprocal response.
- Any retaliation would not be limited to the waters where a seizure occurs โ it could extend to the Pacific.
- Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Viktor Liina said the fleet is ready to inspect and detain “shadow fleet” vessels.
- The statement follows EU rules permitting the sale of oil, fuel, and grain seized from sanctioned Russian tankers.
- Seizures
FAQs:
What did Putin say about seizing vessels?
He said Russia would respond in kind to Western seizures of its commercial ships, calling the practice piracy.
Where would Russia’s retaliation happen?
Putin said it would not necessarily be in the same waters as any seizure, but “anywhere” Moscow deems appropriate, including the Pacific Fleet’s area.
What is the “shadow fleet”?
It’s the term Russia and Western officials use for tankers, often flying third-country flags, used to move sanctioned Russian oil and evade restrictions.
Has this happened before?
Putin raised the same concern in late July, telling Pacific and Northern Fleet commanders to act carefully within maritime law.
Is this a declared military conflict?
No Putin described a policy of reciprocal vessel detentions/inspections, not a military strike.
Background: EU Sanctions Fuel Fears Over Vessel Seizures
The warning follows a European Union sanctions package that allows member states to sell Russian oil, petroleum products, and grain seized from tankers linked to Russia’s sanctions-evasion fleet.
Putin had already described the seizures as piracy in late July, when he urged Pacific and Northern Fleet commanders to “act carefully” within international maritime law.
Russia has relied on a large fleet of tankers to keep exporting oil despite sanctions imposed after it sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.
The warning follows a new European Union sanctions package permitting member states to sell oil, fuel, and grain recovered from Russian tankers already subject to seizures.
Putin had raised the same concern in late July, when he first labeled such seizures piracy and told Pacific and Northern Fleet commanders to act carefully within international maritime law.
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