Putin Vows Retaliation Over Western Seizure of Russian Ships

Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened retaliation against Western nations that detain Russian commercial vessels, describing such actions as "piracy and robbery." Speaking on Wednesday during a visit to a warship involved in a Pacific naval exercise, Putin said Moscow would be forced to respond in kind if the seizures continued.

Putin did not specify where Russia might strike back, noting that retaliation could occur "in any area where we see it as necessary and appropriate," including the Pacific. His remarks came as the commander of Russia's Pacific Fleet, Admiral Viktor Liina, reported that the navy was prepared to begin inspections of commercial ships serving what Moscow calls "unfriendly nations."

The threat follows recent detentions of tankers by France and the United Kingdom, which suspect the vessels of being part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" used to ship oil in violation of international sanctions. The European Union has sanctioned hundreds of such ships.

Russia is believed to operate a large fleet of vessels to circumvent sanctions imposed after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In recent months, Moscow has also begun deploying warships to escort its commercial vessels, a move that analysts see as a direct response to Western enforcement actions.