Russian Navy will break any blockade if West continues detaining country's tankers: Official

The Russian Navy will thwart any attempt by the West to impose a naval blockade on the country, a senior official said Tuesday.

In an interview with the Russian newspaper Argumenty i Fakty, Russian Presidential Aide and Chairman of the Maritime Board Nikolay Patrushev described the recent detention of Russian oil tankers as "piratical, in essence, attacks."

On Jan. 22, the French Navy intercepted and detained the oil tanker Grinch in the Western Mediterranean, which was traveling from Murmansk.

Authorities suspected the tanker was part of Russia's "shadow fleet" used to evade international sanctions.

Since late 2025, Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russian tankers using Sea Baby naval drones. The vessels Kairos, Virat, Dashan, Elbus and others were struck in the Black Sea, and in December, Ukraine attacked the tanker Qendil with drones in the Mediterranean Sea.

The UK, Baltic countries and Scandinavian nations discussed the possibility of systematic detentions of vessels from Russia's shadow fleet at the Munich Security Conference this month. More than 600 such vessels have already been sanctioned by the European Union, the UK and the US.

According to Patrushev, such actions indicate that Western opponents have decided to strike at one of the most important sectors of the Russian economy -- foreign trade -- with the intent to paralyze it.

He expects such actions to intensify, with attacks on vessels and cargo becoming more frequent.

"If we do not give them a firm rebuff, then soon the British, French, and even the Balts will become so brazen that they will try to completely block our country's access to the seas, at least in the Atlantic Basin," he said.

Patrushev emphasized that measures to respond to Western attacks are being developed, including through the Maritime Board.

"We believe that, as in all times, the best guarantor of the safety of navigation is the navy," he said.

He argued that "impressive forces" must be permanently present on the main sea routes, including in regions remote from Russia, "ready to cool the ardor of Western corsairs."

Patrushev acknowledged however that the Russian Navy is currently carrying out tasks to protect maritime trade "with a fairly high level of strain."

"We need significantly more ships for the far sea and ocean zone, capable of operating autonomously for a long time at a considerable distance from their bases," he said.

The current situation shows that of all the branches of the armed forces, the navy is the most powerful and simultaneously flexible geopolitical tool, suitable for active use both in peacetime and during armed conflict, Patrushev noted.

"The existence of a navy, the ability to protect our economic activities at sea, to export our oil, grain and fertilizers, is a condition for the normal functioning of the state," he emphasized.

In this regard, the Maritime Board is incorporating the corresponding requirements for the development of the navy into the updated shipbuilding program for the navy up to 2050, he said.

"Russia needs a balanced fleet, capable of solving all pressing tasks and meeting the demands of the time, primarily technological ones," he noted.

In his assessment, a difficult situation is developing in the Baltic Sea, where NATO is "effectively creating a multinational grouping oriented towards offensive actions."

"Among other things, NATO plans imply the blockade of the Kaliningrad region, the seizure of merchant ships, and sabotage on underwater communications, for which they will then cynically blame us," he said.

As a first step, Russia will utilize universally recognized political-diplomatic and legal mechanisms, he noted.

"If this situation cannot be resolved peacefully, then the blockade will be broken and eliminated by the navy. We should not forget that many ships sail the seas under European flags. We might also become interested in what they are carrying and where to," Patrushev said.

According to him, "the facts indicate that the sea is again becoming a staging ground for military aggression, and the old practice of 'gunboat diplomacy' is returning, as evidenced by events in Venezuela or around Iran."

"But one should not judge solely by the actions of Western countries. The West dominated the seas for a long time, right up until the beginning of this century, but now its hegemony is largely a thing of the past," he said.

Currently, the key task is to build a multipolar world order in the world ocean, and Russia, together with its like-minded partners, is actively working on this, Patrushev added.