{"id":12581,"date":"2026-02-18T08:08:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T08:08:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=12581"},"modified":"2026-02-18T08:08:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T08:08:49","slug":"kremlin-official-says-russian-navy-to-stop-wests-seizure-of-merchant-ships-shipping-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=12581","title":{"rendered":"Kremlin official says Russian navy to stop West\u2019s seizure of merchant ships | Shipping News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>A Russian official says Western powers that seize sanctioned vessels carrying Moscow\u2019s oil are committing \u2018piracy-like attacks\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><button class=\"article-listen-container\" aria-labelledby=\"listen-text listen-duration\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-button\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-listen-container__text\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-text\">Listen to this article<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"article-listen-container__duration\">4 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><svg class=\"icon icon--info icon--main-grey-dark icon--16 listen-to-article-tooltip__icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\"><title>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>A senior Kremlin official has warned that Russia\u2019s navy could deploy to stop Western powers from seizing Russian vessels as part of sanctions against the country\u2019s oil shipments and Moscow\u2019s so-called \u201cshadow fleet\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Nikolai Patrushev, a Kremlin aide with responsibility for shipping and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was quoted on Tuesday as saying that Russia needed to send a strong message \u2013 particularly \u200cto the United Kingdom, France and Baltic states.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 4 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>\u201cWe believe that, as at all times, the best guarantor of navigation safety is the navy,\u201d Patrushev said in comments made to Moscow\u2019s Argumenty i Fakty newspaper, where he referred to \u201cpiracy-like attacks\u201d by Western countries on Russian shipping.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we do not resist decisively, the English, the French, and even the Balts will soon be so bold as to try to block access to the seas for our country, at least in the Atlantic Basin,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n<p>Patrushev said Russia had to be able to ship oil, grain and fertiliser to keep its economy operating. He accused Moscow\u2019s Western opponents of targeting one of the most important sectors of the Russian economy \u2013 shipping.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the main maritime areas, including regions far \u2060from Russia, substantial forces must be permanently deployed \u2013 forces capable of cooling \u2060the ardour of Western pirates,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He also said that Western powers were undergoing radical technological change and modernisation in their navies, amid what he called clear \u201cgunboat diplomacy\u201d from Washington over Venezuela and Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Russia believes, he added, that the NATO military alliance plans to \u2060blockade the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy implementing their naval blockade plans, the Europeans are deliberately pursuing a scenario of military \u200cescalation, testing \u200cthe limits of our patience and provoking active retaliatory measures,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf a peaceful resolution to this situation fails, the blockade will be broken and eliminated by the navy,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"evading-european-sanctions-comes-at-a-price\">\u2018Evading European sanctions comes at a price\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>In January, US special forces seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker with links to Venezuela in the North Atlantic after a weeks-long pursuit, drawing a sharp rebuke from Moscow. The US military said the Marinera oil tanker was seized \u201cfor violations of US sanctions\u201d on Venezuela.<\/p>\n<p>Russia\u2019s Ministry of Transport said the US seizure violated international maritime law.<\/p>\n<p>Also in January, French authorities boarded a tanker, named Grinch, in the Mediterranean between Spain and Morocco, which they accused of being part of Moscow\u2019s \u201cshadow fleet\u201d, referring to a network of merchant vessels the West says are operated by Russia to evade sanctions imposed due to Moscow\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>The Grinch, which started its journey in Russia, was escorted to a port near the southern French city of Marseille.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, France said it had released the Grinch after its owner paid a multimillion-euro fine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe tanker Grinch is leaving French waters after paying several million euros and enduring a costly three-week immobilisation,\u201d French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said on X.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBypassing European sanctions comes at a price. Russia will no longer be able to fund its war with impunity through a ghost fleet off our coasts,\u201d Barrot said.<\/p>\n<p>In September 2025, French authorities detained another Russian-linked ship, called the Boracay, a vessel claiming to be flagged in Benin. Putin condemned the move as \u201cpiracy\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The Boracay\u2019s Chinese captain is to stand trial in France next week.<\/p>\n<p>European Union authorities have listed 598 vessels suspected of being part of Russia\u2019s \u201cshadow fleet\u201d that are banned from European ports and maritime services.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Russian official says Western powers that seize sanctioned vessels carrying Moscow\u2019s oil are committing \u2018piracy-like attacks\u2019. Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a04 mins info A senior Kremlin official has warned that Russia\u2019s navy could deploy to stop Western powers from seizing Russian vessels as part of sanctions against the country\u2019s oil shipments and Moscow\u2019s so-called \u201cshadow [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}