Putin accuses nations seizing shadow fleet vessels of 'piracy', as he says Russia will respond in kind
Russia uses its shadow fleet of ageing vessels to evade international sanctions on its oil and fund the war in Ukraine
Russia will respond in kind if European countries seize Russian vessels, Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday, as he went on to accuse them of "piracy" and "banditry".
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The comments come as the EU intensifies pressure on Russia's so-called shadow fleet, expanding sanctions against hundreds of vessels and detaining some ships and their crews for checks.
Some European governments have said they are exploring tougher maritime enforcement measures against ships suspected of sanctions evasion.
Russia uses its shadow fleet of ageing vessels to evade international sanctions on its oil and fund the war in Ukraine.
State news agency TASS cited Putin as saying of those measures: "Of course, this is nothing short of piracy and banditry. And if this is actually put into practice, we will be forced to respond in kind."
He said, according to TASS, that any Russian retaliatory action would not be limited to those waters where Russian ships were seized, but "will happen wherever we deem it necessary and appropriate."
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Putin was speaking from Russia's far eastern island of Sakhalin, where he is observing military exercises.
TASS also cited him as accusing NATO of making inroads into the Asia-Pacific region, and creating tension in the Arctic.
"NATO is making inroads into the region, new military-political blocs are being formed, and new weapons systems that pose a threat to Russia are being deployed or are slated for deployment," it cited him as saying.
His comments come as the Royal Navy warned of increasing Russian activity around the UK’s waters after it spent 21 days in July monitoring Moscow’s ships.
Naval operations to monitor Russian activity increased 25 per cent in July compared to the previous year, with warships making repeated voyages through the Dover Strait and North Sea.
Offshore patrol vessels HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey and HMS Severn were deployed throughout the month to shadow Russian frigates Neustrashimy and Admiral Grigorovich which are tasked with escorting so-called “shadow fleet” tankers.
HMS Tyne was also tasked with monitoring the Neustrashimy as it carried out a live firing exercise outside British and French waters on July 20.
Another ship, the frigate HMS Somerset, has been involved in monitoring Russian activity in the North Atlantic as part of a four-month Nato deployment searching for submarines, alongside helicopters from the Navy’s Fleet Air Arm.
Somerset’s commanding officer, Commander Matt Millyard, said: “This deployment demonstrates exactly what the Royal Navy exists to do, protect the UK and our allies from wherever our interests are threatened.
“I am immensely proud of every single member of the ship’s company for what we have achieved over the past four months.”
The increase in Russian naval activity follows the seizure of the tanker Smyrtos by Royal Marines in June, the first time British troops have directly boarded a shadow fleet vessel.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the diversion of Russian ships to escort shadow fleet vessels meant Russia was “using up valuable operational capacity to constantly guard cargo”.
Last month, the MoD said in its annual report that Royal Navy vessels had been “activated” 116 times in the year to March 2026, shadowing 61 Russian warships and 28 merchant vessels around the UK’s waters.
This reflected a 30 per cent increase in Russian naval activity over the previous two years, and included operations to deter the spy ship Yantar that was spotted near undersea cables off Scotland in November 2025.