from DMITRY SIDOROV in Moscow, Russia
Special Contributor
MOSCOW, (CAJ News )– RUSSIA has threatened retaliatory action against Western commercial vessels after European countries and the United States intensified efforts to intercept and seize ships linked to Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet.
President Vladimir Putin issued the warning on Wednesday while overseeing Pacific Fleet exercises in Russia’s Far East.
He accused Western countries of violating international maritime law and described the seizure and potential sale of Russian vessels and cargo as “piracy and robbery”.
Putin warned that Russia would “respond in kind”, adding that retaliation would not necessarily occur in the same waters where Russian ships were targeted, but “wherever” Moscow considered necessary.
But who has been seizing these vessels, and why?
Western governments say their actions are aimed primarily at Russia’s shadow fleet: ageing, obscurely owned or sanctioned tankers allegedly used to circumvent restrictions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the United States and other European countries have boarded, detained or seized vessels suspected of sanctions evasion, false-flag registration or other illicit activity.
In June, British Royal Marines and National Crime Agency officers boarded and detained the sanctioned tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel.
Britain said the operation was conducted in accordance with domestic and international law.
Earlier, Belgian forces, supported by France, seized the tanker Ethera after it was intercepted in Belgium’s exclusive economic zone while allegedly sailing under a false Guinea flag.
The United States has also seized sanctioned tankers, including vessels linked to sanctioned oil shipment.
Russia, however, argues that these actions amount to unlawful interference with navigation.
Admiral Viktor Liina, commander of the Pacific Fleet, said Russian forces have the capability to “inspect and detain” vessels belonging to unfriendly countries and their shadow fleets.
Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev went further, arguing that Western vessels operating under flags of convenience could become legitimate Russian targets.
He said Russia could, under a “symmetrical approach”, attack merchant vessels in neutral waters if there were sufficient grounds to suspect they carried cargo serving an enemy.
Such threats carry serious international risks.
If states begin routinely boarding or capturing merchant ships in disputed circumstances, commercial shipping could become increasingly militarised.
Retaliatory seizures could trigger armed confrontations, disrupt vital trade routes, raise insurance costs and endanger crews.
The danger is greatest in international waters, where competing interpretations of maritime law could turn individual enforcement operations into a cycle of retaliation.
The shadow fleet already presents environmental and maritime-safety concerns; adding military confrontation could transform a sanctions dispute into a much broader threat to freedom of navigation and global commerce.
– CAJ News