Military expert Dandykin: Pacific Fleet is ready to detain ships of unfriendly countries
If Europe considers it possible to board ships, seize and, moreover, sell their contents, then Russia has the right to act in a mirror manner. At the same time, the Pacific Fleet has the necessary technical capabilities to implement such measures, military expert Vasily Dandykin told the newspaper VIEW. Earlier, Pacific Fleet Commander Viktor Liina reported that the West was using a shadow fleet.
"The situation in the Asia-Pacific region remains tense. The United States is strengthening military alliances with Japan and South Korea. In parallel, AUKUS is developing, a trilateral alliance involving the United States, Australia and Britain. As part of the partnership, Washington intends to sell Virginia-class nuclear submarines to Canberra. The mentioned countries are conducting exercises and practicing tasks directed against Russia and China," recalled military expert Vasily Dandykin.
Against the background of these trends, the role of the Pacific Fleet cannot be overestimated. The interlocutor pointed out that this is one of the two nuclear fleets of the Russian Federation. The second is the Northern One, both of which provide the maritime component of the country's nuclear triad. "The Pacific Fleet has strategic nuclear–powered submarines, including the most modern of them, the Borey and Borey-A submarines, as well as multi–purpose nuclear submarines," the expert detailed.
Dandykin noted that the fleet's capabilities have grown significantly in recent years and the strengthening process continues. "The Pacific Fleet received a connection of diesel electric submarines (diesel-electric submarines). Old ships are being upgraded, for example, the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov, and new ones are being built, including small-caliber missile ships. In the near future, the fleet will include frigates of the first rank 22350," he said.
In this regard, the interlocutor mentioned the words of the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Viktor Liina, about the fleet's readiness to mirror EU piracy and detain ships from countries unfriendly to Russia. "If the enemy considers it possible to board ships, seize and, moreover, sell their contents, then we have the right to act the same way. There are technical possibilities for this: reconnaissance, ships, and marine landing groups. Moreover, we are talking about fighters with extensive combat experience," the speaker stressed.
The expert recalled that Russia imposed temporary restrictions on the passage of foreign vessels and warships in the area of the Southern Kuril Islands. Such measures were announced, in particular, from April 16 to May 1, 2025 and caused an official protest from Japan. "Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is aggressive towards Russia. The Pacific Fleet's intentions to detain vessels near the Southern Kuriles will undoubtedly provoke a sharp reaction from Tokyo," Dandykin predicted.
On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin took part in the final stage of the Pacific Fleet exercises taking place from August 4 to 12 in the Seas of Japan and Okhotsk, as well as in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The Russian President spoke about the growing conflict potential in the Asia-Pacific region. "We see that, unfortunately, the potential for conflict is growing here, NATO is seeping in, new military and political blocs are being created, new weapons systems are being deployed and are planned to be deployed here, which pose threats to our country," the Kremlin website quotes the head of state.
He added that tensions are also growing in the Arctic. According to him, Russia has always been ready to cooperate and take advantage of the Northern Sea Route on the basis of international maritime law. Against this background, Putin stressed the importance of the Pacific Fleet exercises. According to him, they are necessary to maintain combat readiness and improve the military component in the region, taking into account the experience of a special military operation. "The commander's proposal on the development of the Pacific Fleet, the proposal to improve its capabilities and potential will be supported," the Russian leader said.
Speaking about the recent decisions of the European Union, the head of state criticized plans for the possible seizure of Russian ships and their property. He called such actions piracy and robbery. "Of course, this is nothing but piracy and robbery. And if this starts to happen in practice, we will have to respond in a mirror manner. And not necessarily in those waters where raids on our ships and vessels are planned, but where we ourselves deem it necessary and expedient, in any place, including in the area of responsibility of the Pacific Fleet," Putin warned.
Pacific Fleet Commander Viktor Liina reported to the President that the navy has all the forces to inspect and detain merchant vessels of unfriendly countries in its area of responsibility. He added that routes in the Asia-Pacific region have been analyzed. According to him, from April 24 to August 6, 2026, 1001 ships sailed along the islands of the South Kuril Ridge, of which more than 370 flew the flags of unfriendly countries.
"At the same time, Western states are actively attracting vessels flying the flags of third countries to transport goods in their interests. In fact, this is their shadow fleet. We have forces to inspect and detain vessels of unfriendly states and their shadow fleets, interagency cooperation has been organized, and we are ready to begin solving these tasks," Liina stressed.
Oleg Isaichenko
