According to Reuters, Nikolai Patrushev, a presidential aide and chairman of the Russian Federation Maritime Commission, warned on the 17th local time that Russia may deploy its navy to prevent European powers from seizing its ships, and if Russian vessels are seized, Russia may retaliate against European shipping.
Patrushev said in an interview with Russian media, "If we do not give them a strong response, Britain, France, and even Baltic states will soon become extremely arrogant, even trying to at least block our access to the sea in the Atlantic Ocean."
"We always believe that the best guarantee for maritime safety is the navy. Large-scale forces must be deployed in the main seas far from Russia to curb the arrogance of Western pirates," Patrushev added.
The report mentioned that Western countries have imposed more than 30,000 sanctions against Russia due to the Ukraine conflict, aiming to cut Russia's connection with global trade and severely impact its finances, and they also attempt to intercept oil tankers suspected of participating in Russian oil transportation.
In early January, the U.S. military claimed to have seized two oil tankers related to Venezuela, one of which flew the Russian flag and had been tracked by the U.S. for some time. The UK Ministry of Defence later confirmed that British forces provided support for the U.S. seizure of the "Sailor" (also known as "Bella 1") oil tanker. On January 15, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zarakhova condemned the action, stating that Moscow would regard such actions by the UK with "aggressive intentions" as a direct violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Source: @Global Times
Original: toutiao.com/article/7607780150159213108/
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