By : JD News Desk
Jordan Daily – Russia has warned it will respond to any maritime blockade by the UK or EU, with senior official Nikolay Patrushev stating Moscow is ready to use naval force to protect its shipping interests.
Patrushev, a key aide to President Vladimir Putin and head of Russia’s Maritime Board, told Kommersant that Western sanctions increasingly resemble “a maritime blockade,” RT reported Monday. “The collective West no longer hides its intentions to expel our shipping from the seas,” he said.
“If diplomatic or legal instruments do not take effect, the security of Russian shipping will be ensured by our navy,” Patrushev said. “The hotheads in London or Brussels need to clearly understand this.”
He cited ongoing naval modernization efforts, including unmanned systems, but said Moscow does not seek a naval arms race. The remarks come amid heightened Baltic Sea tensions following the sabotage of undersea infrastructure, which Western officials have loosely linked to Russia without presenting evidence. The Kremlin has called such claims “absurd.”
NATO has ramped up its presence in the Baltic, while the UK has shadowed Russian ships near its waters for months, citing security concerns. Russia has faced mounting maritime restrictions and sanctions since 2022 over the Ukraine conflict, including port access limits and sanctions on dozens of vessels.
