Russia Could Deploy Its Navy To Prevent Western Powers From Seizing Russian Vessels

A senior Kremlin official has warned that Russia could deploy its navy to prevent Western powers from seizing Russian vessels.

Nikolai Patrushev, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and chairman of Russia’s Maritime Board, said Moscow would respond firmly if its ships were taken.

Speaking to the Russian publication Argumenty i Fakty, Patrushev stated that Britain, France and the Baltic states were of particular concern.

He said that if Russia did not respond decisively, those countries could attempt to restrict Russia’s access to key maritime areas, including the Atlantic basin.

Western nations have imposed extensive sanctions aimed at limiting Russia’s oil exports and curbing the activities of what they describe as a “shadow fleet” used to bypass restrictions linked to the war in Ukraine.

Patrushev rejected the concept of a shadow fleet, describing it as a legal fiction, and stated that any attempt to impose a naval blockade on Russia would be unlawful under international law.

He said Russia must ensure the uninterrupted shipment of oil, grain and fertiliser in order to sustain its economy.

According to Patrushev, substantial naval forces should be permanently deployed in major maritime regions, including areas far from Russian territory, to deter what he described as piracy-like actions by Western countries.

Patrushev also stated that major naval powers were undergoing rapid technological change and modernisation. He referred to what he described as gunboat diplomacy by Washington in relation to Venezuela and Iran.

He added that Russia’s updated naval shipbuilding programme to 2050 would soon be submitted for approval.

Patrushev further said Moscow believed that NATO planned to blockade Kaliningrad, Russia’s exclave on the Baltic Sea.

Any such move, he said, would amount to deliberate escalation. He indicated that if diplomatic efforts failed, Russia’s navy would act to break any blockade.

In January, United States special forces seized the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera in the North Atlantic after a weeks-long pursuit, citing violations of US sanctions on Venezuela.

Russia’s Ministry of Transport said the action breached international maritime law.

In the same month, French authorities boarded the tanker Grinch in the Mediterranean between Spain and Morocco, alleging it was part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.

The vessel, which had begun its voyage in Russia, was escorted to a port near Marseille.

France later confirmed that the tanker had been released after its owner paid a multimillion-euro fine and the vessel underwent a three-week immobilisation.

References: Reuters, Aljazeera

Source: Maritime Shipping News