Kremlin aide warns West over seizure of Russian vessels
By Guy Faulconbridge
MOSCOW, Feb 17 (Reuters) – Russia may deploy its navy to prevent European powers from seizing its ships and retaliate against European shipping if Russian ships are taken, Nikolai Patrushev, one of Russia’s leading hardliners, said on Tuesday.
Western states are trying to cripple the Russian economy with sanctions and have been trying to block oil tankers suspected of interfering with Russia’s oil shipments in recent months. In January, the United States seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker as part of efforts to block Venezuela’s oil exports.
Patrushev, a Kremlin aide who is a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said Russia should react harshly, especially against Britain, France and the Baltic countries.
Patrushev, who serves as chairman of the Russian Maritime Board, told Russian media outlet Argumenty i Fakty: “If we do not give them a harsh response, soon the British, the French and even the Baltic states (Baltic countries) will become so arrogant that they will try to block our country’s access to the seas, at least in the Atlantic basin.”
“In the main maritime areas, including in areas far from Russia, there is a need for a permanent deployment of significant forces capable of dampening the enthusiasm of Western pirates,” he said.
Patrushev said the navies of the major powers were undergoing a process of radical technological change and modernization in what Washington described as open “gunboat diplomacy” on Venezuela and Iran. He said Russia’s updated naval shipbuilding program until 2050 will soon be submitted for approval.
He also said Russia believed the NATO military alliance was planning to blockade Russia’s Kaliningrad region in the Baltic Sea.
“Any naval blockade attempt against our country is completely illegal in terms of international law, and the ‘shadow fleet’ concept that EU representatives put forward at every opportunity is also a legal fiction.” he said.
The shadow fleet refers to a network of ships that Western nations say is operated by Russia to evade sanctions.
“By implementing naval blockade plans, the Europeans are deliberately pursuing the scenario of military escalation, testing the limits of our patience and provoking active retaliatory measures,” Patrushev said. he said. “If a peaceful solution to this situation cannot be found, the blockade will be broken and eliminated by the navy.”
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Ros Russell)
