Patrushev: Russia is preparing a response to the actions of unfriendly countries in the Baltic
MOSCOW, February 18 - RIA Novosti. The United Kingdom, along with other NATO countries, is trying to impose on European states the possibility of arresting Russian vessels in the Baltic Sea, allegedly because of threats to nature and infrastructure, but Russia is carefully monitoring these actions of unfriendly countries and is preparing countermeasures, said Nikolai Patrushev, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Russian Maritime Board.
"Today, under the guise of supporting Ukraine, the British, along with other NATO countries, are trying to occupy Ukrainian lands for a long-term confrontation with Russia and the transformation of the Black Sea, and at the same time the Baltic Sea into the internal waters of NATO. They are trying to impose legislative changes on European countries involving the arrest of Russian vessels in the Baltic Sea on the slightest suspicion that, hypothetically, these vessels "could allegedly cause damage to the environment and marine infrastructure," Patrushev said in an interview with Arguments and Facts.
The word "allegedly" has recently been frequently used by Westerners who substitute speculation and slander for evidence, he added.
"The West has been looking for reasons to oust Russia from the Baltic for a long time, but having failed to find them, it decided to invent motives for essentially pirating our ships. Of course, Russia is carefully monitoring these actions of unfriendly countries and is preparing countermeasures," Patrushev said.
According to him, cutting off Russia from the sea exits to the West, from the Black Sea and the Baltic has been London's cherished dream since the 18th century.
"The British tried to interfere with Peter the Great, schemed against Catherine II. Sometimes they tried to act by force of arms. Remember the Crimean War, which in history is often interpreted as a defeat of Russia, but in fact the British and French were defeated on the bastions of Sevastopol, in the Baltic Sea and also in the Far East and the Solovetsky Islands," Patrushev recalled.
EU countries are discussing plans for a large-scale seizure of oil tankers in the Baltic Sea, allegedly linked to Russia, and may use international environmental protection and anti-piracy law as justification, or adopt new national regulations, the European edition of Politico reported earlier in February, citing two diplomats and two government officials. The EU.
According to the interlocutors of the publication, the proposals discussed are mainly divided into three categories. Firstly, the authorities could seize vessels that allegedly could harm the local environment, for example, due to oil spills, the report says. Secondly, the authorities could also use piracy laws to detain vessels allegedly threatening critical underwater infrastructure, which, in particular, includes underwater cables, the newspaper writes. Finally, in case "international law does not work," countries are discussing the adoption of new national laws to simplify the detention of ships, and this may include requiring tankers in the Baltic Sea to use the services of "reliable insurers" from a special list for detaining ships relying on other operators, the publication points out.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that statements about the alleged Russian trace in the damage to cables in the Baltic Sea are aimed at preventing the export of Russian oil and arbitrarily restricting navigation in the waters.
As Russian Ambassador to Finland Pavel Kuznetsov stated in an interview with RIA Novosti, the version of the "Russian trace" in the damage to cables in the Baltic Sea is inspired as a reason to increase NATO's presence in the region.
