⚡️ Statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry on the unlawful actions of Western countries in the World Ocean (March 23, 2026)

The situation unfolding in the World Ocean lately has become absolutely unacceptable.

European states such as France, Sweden and Finland are stopping vessels they deem undesirable with impunity and escorting them to their ports, accusing them of violating some so-called “international” sanctions.

The pretext invoked is the need to enforce the unlawful restrictions imposed by the EU.

In pursuit of their goal of depriving Russia of revenues from international trade, the EU has invented the term “shadow fleet”, which does not exist in international maritime law, and is using it as cover for outright piracy on maritime routes.

❗️ Under far-fetched and strained pretexts, vessels that fully meet all the criteria for free and unimpeded navigation are being subjected to inspections and detentions.

We remind European leaders that the only sanctions that are truly international are those approved by the UN Security Council.

Unilateral illegal restrictions adopted by individual states or limited groupings thereof are neither international nor legitimate. The inconsistency of unilateral sanctions with international law has been repeatedly confirmed in UN General Assembly resolutions.

The West seeks to justify its actions by claiming that vessels sailing without a flag are allegedly not entitled to freedom of navigation and must therefore be detained. Interestingly, vessels operating under false flags in the interests of European states themselves somehow do not fall under such restrictions. What matters is not the flag, but the destination. If the oil is intended for Europeans, then no matter what vessel carries it, the European authorities somehow find no grounds for detention.

An especially outrageous violation of international law was the terrorist attack carried out by unmanned boats and drones against the LNG tanker Arctic Metagas, sailing under the Russian flag in the Mediterranean Sea. Not a single European state condemned those actions by their Ukrainian protégés. In this case, Europe is not merely a silent witness, but a direct accomplice in the lawlessness of the Kiev regime.

The Russian Side regards these practices by EU countries as unacceptable and impermissible, grossly violating both the letter and the spirit of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and will use all political, legal and other instruments at its disposal to ensure respect for the principle of freedom of navigation. Those intent on turning the Baltic Sea, as well as other maritime areas, into the “internal waters” of NATO and the EU should understand that such acts of piracy and lawlessness will not go unanswered on our part, including through the use of all necessary means.

We call upon the international community to take a principled stand in support of the regime established by the 1982 Convention, and on flag states not to yield to neo-colonial diktat, but to unite in defending their legitimate interests and bona fide maritime carriers.

☝️ We are convinced that the Global majority is fully aware of all the threats and risks associated with the attempts by Western states to turn maritime spaces into a zone of confrontation, establish unilateral control over sea lanes and deprive nations of the world of sources of development.