Nikolai Patrushev, Aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, chairman of the Russian Maritime Board, and former Secretary of the Russian Security Council (2008-2024), delivered a measured, but very hard-hitting warning to the European “Council of the Willing” countries, which at the Munich Security Conference and elsewhere, have been openly speaking of detaining Russian vessels at sea, and of measures that would blockade Russian maritime activity and ports, especially the Baltic Sea and Arctic Ocean. In an interview with the February 16 Argumenty i Fakti, Patrushev stated that, “if this situation cannot be resolved peacefully, the [Western] blockade will be broken and eliminated by the Russian Navy.”
AIF posed to Patrushev: “The situation in the oceans has escalated to such an extent that some experts are talking about ‘the collective West’ opening another front in its confrontation with Russia. Just look at the seizures of ships flying our flag and carrying our cargo. What do you predict Russia will do in response?”
Patrushev answered, “These essentially pirate attacks on Russian maritime trade indicate that Western opponents have decided to strike at one of the most important sectors of the Russian economy—foreign trade—and want to paralyze it. According to available information, such actions will intensify, and attacks on our ships and cargo will become more frequent. If we don’t respond firmly, the British, French, and even the Baltic states will soon become so brazen that they will attempt to completely block our country’s access to the seas, at least in the Atlantic basin.”
He continued, “Naturally, responses to Western attacks are being developed, including through the Maritime Collegium. We believe that, as always, the navy is the best guarantor of navigational security. Significant forces must be permanently stationed in key maritime routes, including in regions remote from Russia, ready to cool the ardor of Western corsairs.”
