President Vladimir Putin has indicated that Russia might target ships from nations aiding Ukraine if attacks on its tanker fleet persist. He characterized the current actions of the Ukrainian armed forces as “piracy,” as reported by Interfax. In response, he outlined potential countermeasures, including expanding Russian strikes on port facilities and vessels linked to Ukraine.
Putin cautioned that if the attacks continue, Russia may consider retaliatory actions against the vessels of countries supporting Ukraine in what he describes as piracy, though he stopped short of guaranteeing such responses would be executed. Over the past year, there have been at least nine attacks on Russian commercial ships, primarily tankers, with most attackers remaining unidentified.
The last week has seen an increase in these incidents, with four reported attacks. Putin suggested that a more drastic measure could involve cutting Ukraine off from the sea entirely, effectively eliminating any possibility of piracy.
