Excerpts from the interview with Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin to the TASS news agency (January 16, 2026)

#Baltic

• The attempts by NATO countries to restrict the freedom of navigation for ships carrying Russian cargo or registered in Russia under various pretexts is and will be met with the most resolute opposition. Russia will not allow navigation in the Baltic Sea to be regulated according to NATO and the European Union's rules. They will have to comply with international law, in particular the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

• Russia has a wide range of measures to effectively persuade NATO countries to refrain from provocative actions in the Baltic [Sea region]. Our arsenal includes more than just diplomatic protests. The Russian side has already been forced to demonstrate other ways of responding to attempts to stop and seize ships.

• Copenhagen has its sights set on tankers carrying Russian oil. Controls over them have been tightened as they pass through the Baltic (Danish) straits and receive service in the roadstead.

• However, it is impossible to block Russian ships in the Baltic Sea by legal means. International law guarantees the unimpeded passage of ships through the Baltic (Danish) straits. The Russian side assumes that Copenhagen understands and recognises this.