Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow could retaliate against European countries if they seize Russian commercial vessels, escalating tensions over the European Union’s crackdown on Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet.”
Putin made the remarks on Wednesday while overseeing military exercises in Russia’s Far East, saying any Russian response would not necessarily be limited to the area where a vessel was seized. He described the seizure of Russian ships as “piracy and banditry.”
The warning comes as European countries step up efforts to disrupt Russia’s shadow fleet, a network of vessels accused of helping Moscow evade Western sanctions and continue exporting oil.
The EU’s latest sanctions package, adopted in July, added 41 vessels to its restrictions, bringing the number of shadow-fleet vessels listed by the bloc to more than 670. The measures include port-access restrictions and bans on services for targeted ships.
The European measures have increasingly focused on Russia’s maritime oil trade, which remains an important source of revenue for Moscow. The latest developments have raised concerns about a possible escalation at sea as European states intercept or restrict vessels linked to sanctioned Russian trade.
Putin’s latest comments signal that Russia could respond by targeting vessels connected to countries it considers hostile, further intensifying the confrontation between Moscow and European governments over sanctions and maritime trade.
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