Putin Threatens Seizure of European Ships
The Russian president announced retaliation for European Union plans to intercept and seize vessels from Russia's 'shadow fleet,' stating that Moscow will act wherever it deems necessary.
The Russian president announced retaliation for European Union plans to intercept and seize vessels from Russia's 'shadow fleet,' stating that Moscow will act wherever it deems necessary.
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened on Wednesday to seize ships owned by European countries. The statement came as a direct response to European Union plans to intercept and seize Russian vessels suspected of being part of the so-called 'shadow fleet' and violating international sanctions, as well as to sell their cargo.
The threat was made while overseeing naval exercises in Russia's Far East, speaking from the Russian missile cruiser Varyag in waters off Sakhalin Island. "We will be forced to respond in kind," Putin said, adding that Moscow will retaliate "wherever we ourselves deem necessary and appropriate, anywhere." The Russian leader described the actions of European countries in stark terms. "Of course, this is nothing but piracy and banditry," Putin stated, according to TASS news agency.
Tensions have escalated after the EU signaled readiness for concrete actions against Russia's 'shadow fleet.' These are vessels Russia uses to export oil and other goods bypassing Western sanctions. Several European countries have already intercepted ships carrying Russian oil in violation of sanctions targeting Moscow's key revenue source. Additional pressure came through a new sanctions package adopted last month, which allows EU member states to sell oil or other cargo seized from such vessels.
One of the vessels linked to this fleet is the tanker Boracay, which was sighted on October 2, 2025, near the French Atlantic coast, off the city of Saint-Nazaire. Such vessels pose a growing challenge to European authorities due to sanctions violations. Meanwhile, documents from a Swedish court revealed that Stockholm plans to hand over to Kyiv a seized Russian ship suspected of transporting grain from occupied areas of Ukraine.
Putin's announcement of retaliation raises the stakes in already tense relations between Moscow and Brussels. During the same address, he accused NATO of encroaching into the Asia-Pacific region and creating tensions in the Arctic. "NATO is penetrating the region, new military-political blocs are being formed, and new weapons systems that pose a threat to Russia are being deployed or planned for deployment," TASS quoted him as saying. The Russian navy exercises take place a week before joint US-South Korean maneuvers simulating a possible North Korean invasion. Tensions in the region are further heightened by accusations from Kyiv and Seoul that Pyongyang and Moscow continue to deepen military cooperation. Although there is no direct mention of Croatia in the sources, any further escalation and potential threat to freedom of navigation in European waters would directly affect all EU members, including Croatia as a maritime and trading nation.
