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
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