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Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to seize European vessels in retaliation for the interception of Russian ships believed to be part of Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet.”
Several European countries have intercepted vessels carrying Russian oil in defiance of European sanctions targeting a key source of revenue for Moscow. New EU sanctions adopted last month allow member states to sell oil and other cargo seized from such ships.
Moscow has strongly opposed the measures, with Putin describing the seizures as “piracy and banditry.”
“We will be forced to respond in kind,” Putin said on Wednesday while overseeing Russian naval exercises in the country’s Far East.
Russia would respond “wherever we ourselves deem necessary and appropriate — anywhere,” he added.
Swedish court documents showed that Stockholm plans to transfer to Ukraine a seized Russian vessel suspected of transporting grain from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.
Putin made the remarks aboard the Russian cruiser Varyag off Sakhalin, where Russia’s navy was conducting military exercises.
The drills come a week before planned US-South Korean military exercises designed to simulate a potential North Korean invasion.
Tensions remain high in the region amid accusations by Kyiv and Seoul that North Korea and Russia are deepening their military cooperation.