Nikolai Patrushev, aide to the Russian president and chairman of the Maritime Board, has issued a sharp statement directed at NATO regarding the situation in the Baltic Sea, according to reporting by Russian media outlets close to Moscow, as cited by Dialog.ua.
The statement was prompted by the detention of Russian oil tankers that Western countries have linked to the so-called “shadow fleet.”
According to Patrushev, if NATO member states continue to block such vessels, this could lead to military escalation.
He argued that the concept of a “shadow fleet” is, in his view, a legal fiction. Russia considers attempts to obstruct oil deliveries and other trade operations to be unlawful under international law.
Moscow views the actions of the Baltic states and other NATO members as de facto elements of a maritime blockade.
Patrushev warned that such policies are pushing the situation toward a dangerous point. If a diplomatic settlement fails, Russia could, in his words, deploy its navy to protect its tankers. He also hinted that many vessels sail under European flags and that, theoretically, Russia could take an interest in them as well.
In other words, The Kremlin is directly threatening NATO countries with war in the Baltic region, the portal writes.
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