- Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow will begin seizing ships belonging to European nations in response to EU plans to sell off cargo confiscated from Russian “shadow fleet” vessels.
- Speaking aboard the cruiser Varyag during naval drills off Sakhalin Island, Putin denounced the new European sanctions, which permit the sale of intercepted cargoes, as acts of “piracy and banditry.”
- The warning follows recent judicial moves in Europe, including a Swedish court decision to transfer a seized Russian ship carrying grain from occupied Ukraine directly to Kyiv.
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a stern warning on Wednesday, threatening to authorize the seizure of commercial vessels belonging to European countries in direct retaliation for EU plans to sell off cargo confiscated from Russian “shadow fleet” vessels.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the mounting maritime dispute stems from recent enforcement actions by several European nations that have intercepted ships carrying Russian oil and goods in violation of EU economic sanctions designed to restrict Moscow’s vital energy revenues.
EDITOR’S PICK
- Tinubu Approves Army Expansion, Recruitment of 28,000 Personnel
- Aregbesola Claims Record as First Nigerian Governor to Serve Eight Years Without Owning a House
- Ikosi-Ejinrin LCDA Commissions Fully Equipped NSCDC Divisional Headquarters, Donates Patrol Vehicle and Motorcycle to Boost Security
Under new sanctions package provisions passed last month, member states are legally permitted to liquidate and sell off oil or any other cargo seized from vessels caught flouting the embargo.
Addressing naval commanders while overseeing strategic naval exercises aboard the cruiser Varyag off the island of Sakhalin in Russia’s Far East, Putin condemned the measures in uncompromising terms. Branding the confiscations as “piracy and banditry,” the Kremlin leader declared that Moscow would not stand idly by while Russian assets were appropriated.
“We will be forced to respond in kind,” Putin stated, adding that Russia would execute countermeasures “wherever we ourselves deem necessary and appropriate, anywhere.”
The escalation comes in the wake of intensifying legal maneuvers across Europe regarding confiscated Russian property.
Earlier in August, Swedish court documents reviewed by international agencies revealed that Stockholm is moving to transfer a seized Russian ship, suspected of illegally transporting grain from occupied Ukrainian territories, directly to the government in Kyiv.
Putin’s public warning coincided with ongoing Russian naval maneuvers in the Far East, which run parallel to heightened geopolitical friction in both Europe and the Asia-Pacific.
Analysts note that retaliatory vessel seizures by Moscow could severely disrupt commercial shipping lanes, elevate insurance premiums for vessels operating in contested waters, and trigger a broader diplomatic crisis between Russia and maritime trading partners across the European Union.
FURTHER READING
