Putin Threatens to Seize European Vessels in Retaliation
President Putin warned that Russia would seize European commercial ships “wherever necessary” in retaliation for Western captures of tankers carrying Russian oil. The threat raised the risk of confrontation at sea as European states step up enforcement of sanctions against Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet. It came amid continued Russian strikes on Ukrainian ports.
Mr Putin’s warning escalates a simmering dispute over shipping, as European navies and coastguards intercept ageing tankers that Russia uses to skirt sanctions and keep its oil revenues flowing. Any tit-for-tat seizures of European vessels could quickly draw NATO members into dangerous encounters in the Baltic or the Mediterranean, opening a new maritime front in a conflict already grinding through its fourth year. The threat lands as Russia keeps pounding Ukrainian ports such as Odesa and as Kyiv presses Western partners for more air defences. President Zelenskyy, meanwhile, has put fresh proposals to Washington aimed at ending the war. Watch whether Russia acts on the threat and how European governments respond.