Kremlin official says Russian navy to stop West’s seizure of merchant ships

A Russian official says Western powers that seize sanctioned vessels carrying Moscow’s oil are committing ‘piracy-like attacks’.Russian naval cadets visit the Russian Navy destroyer "Bespokoinyi", a museum ship set at the Patriot Park in Kronstadt, outside Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 2022 [File: Olga Maltseva/ AFP]Published On 18 Feb 2026A senior Kremlin official has warned that Russia’s navy could deploy to stop Western powers from seizing Russian vessels as part of sanctions against the country’s oil shipments and Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet”.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 – particularly ‌to the United Kingdom, France and Baltic States.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4France seizes oil tanker in Mediterranean sailing from Russia: Macronlist 2 of 4France detains Russian ‘shadow’ tanker to disrupt war in Ukrainelist 3 of 4Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker diverted to French port by naval forceslist 4 of 4Europe lacks coordination as Russia ‘prepares for war with NATO’: Expertsend of list“We believe that, as at all times, the best guarantor of navigation safety is the navy,” Patrushev said in comments made to Moscow’s Argumenty i Fakty newspaper, where he referred to “piracy-like attacks” by Western countries on Russian shipping.“If 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,” he warned.Patrushev said Russia had to be able to ship oil, grain and fertiliser to keep its economy operating. He accused Moscow’s Western opponents of targeting one of the most important sectors of the Russian economy – shipping.“In the main maritime areas, including regions far ⁠from Russia, substantial forces must be permanently deployed – forces capable of cooling ⁠the ardour of Western pirates,” he said.He also said that Western powers were undergoing radical technological change and modernisation in their navies, amid what he called clear “gunboat diplomacy” from Washington over Venezuela and Iran.Russia believes, he added, that the NATO military alliance plans to ⁠blockade the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea.“By implementing their naval blockade plans, the Europeans are deliberately pursuing a scenario of military ‌escalation, testing ‌the limits of our patience and provoking active retaliatory measures,” he said.“If a peaceful resolution to this situation fails, the blockade will be broken and eliminated by the navy,” he added.‘Evading European sanctions comes at a price’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 “for violations of US sanctions” on Venezuela.Russia’s Ministry of Transport said the US seizure violated international maritime law.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’s “shadow fleet”, referring to a network of merchant vessels the West says are operated by Russia to evade sanctions imposed due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.The Grinch, which started its journey in Russia, was escorted to a port near the southern French city of Marseille.On Tuesday, France said it had released the Grinch after its owner paid a multimillion-euro fine.“The tanker Grinch is leaving French waters after paying several million euros and enduring a costly three-week immobilisation,” French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said on X.“Bypassing 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,” Barrot said.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 “piracy”.The Boracay’s Chinese captain is to stand trial in France next week.European Union authorities have listed 598 vessels suspected of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” that are banned from European ports and maritime services.