Russia warns of retaliatory seizures of European ships

MOSCOW, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday that Russia would respond in kind if Western countries seize its merchant ships.

"We see that the authorities of some countries, in violation of international maritime law, are trying to restrict the movement of our economic operators' vessels, peaceful vessels, I want to emphasize," Putin said during the final stage of the Pacific Fleet's exercises.

Putin's remarks come against the backdrop of recent interceptions and inspections of "shadow fleet" ships by European naval forces, including Italian-led European Union (EU) operations in the Mediterranean. At the end of July, the EU also adopted a port access ban on 41 more "shadow fleet" vessels and introduced mandatory notification requirements for the sale of liquefied natural gas tankers to Russia.

Putin has also voiced his concern over increasing tensions in the Asia-Pacific region due to "unprovoked" sanctions against Russia introduced by Japan. "Unfortunately, we are seeing changes in positions, and I would like to emphasize that these changes were not provoked by anything on our part," said Putin.