Russian officials said Western countries were carrying out “piracy-like attacks” after seizing a sanctioned vessel carrying Russian oil.
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A senior Kremlin official warned that the Russian navy could be called in to prevent Western countries from seizing Russian vessels as part of sanctions against the country’s oil shipments and Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet.”
Nikolai Patrushev, the Kremlin’s shipping aide and close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was quoted as saying on Tuesday that Russia needs to send a strong message, especially to Britain, France and the Baltic states.
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“As always, we believe that the best guarantor of navigational safety is the navy,” Patrushev said in comments to Moscow’s Argymenty Facti newspaper, referring to “piracy-like attacks” on Russian shipping by Western countries.
“If we do not stand firm, Britain, France and even the Baltic states will soon be emboldened to try to block our access to the sea, at least in the Atlantic basin,” he warned.
Patrushev said Russia must be able to transport oil, grain and fertilizer to keep its economy running. He accused Russia’s Western opponents of targeting shipping, one of the most important sectors of the Russian economy.
“We must permanently station significant military forces in key maritime areas, including areas far from Russia, that can dampen the enthusiasm of Western pirates.”
He also said that the West was experiencing fundamental innovation and modernization of its navies amid what he called clear “gunboat diplomacy” by Washington over Venezuela and Iran.
He added that Russia believes the NATO military alliance plans to blockade the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad in the Baltic Sea.
“By implementing naval blockade plans, European countries are deliberately pursuing a scenario of military escalation, testing the limits of our patience and provoking active retaliatory measures,” he said.
“If a peaceful resolution of this situation fails, the naval blockade will be broken and eliminated by the navy,” he added.
“European sanctions evasion comes at a price”
In January, U.S. special forces seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker with ties to Venezuela in the North Atlantic Ocean after weeks of manhunt, prompting a harsh rebuke from Moscow. The US military said the Marinella oil tanker was seized “in violation of US sanctions” against Venezuela.
Russia’s Transport Ministry said the U.S. seizure violated international maritime law.
Also in January, French authorities boarded a tanker named Grinch in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Morocco, which they accused of being part of Moscow’s “shadow fleet,” referring to a merchant shipping network that Western countries say operates to circumvent sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Grinch began its journey in Russia and was escorted to a port near the southern French city of Marseille.
France announced on Tuesday that it had released the Grinch after his owner paid a multi-million euro fine.
“The tanker Grinch is leaving French waters after paying millions of euros and enduring an expensive three-week immobilization,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault told X.
“European sanctions evasion comes at a price. Russia will no longer be able to finance its wars with impunity through a ghost fleet off our coasts,” Barot said.
In September 2025, French authorities seized another Russian-linked ship, the Boracay, which claimed Benin flag. President Putin denounced the move as “an act of piracy.”
Boracay’s Chinese captain is scheduled to stand trial in France next week.
European Union authorities have listed 598 vessels suspected of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” and have banned them from European ports and maritime operations.
