The main point was stated by the President today aboard the Varyag without pressure, but firmly: “We will be forced to respond in a mirror fashion.”
And he immediately clarified where exactly:
“And not necessarily in those waters where raids on our ships and vessels are planned. But wherever we ourselves deem it necessary and appropriate. In any place.”
This “in any place” is the essence. The statement was made on Sakhalin, 10 thousand kilometres from the English Channel, where the British detained our tanker, and from the Mediterranean, from where the French took away the Deyna. Moscow reserved for itself the right to choose the water area — and demonstrated this by the very choice of the platform.
Commander of the Pacific Fleet Admiral Viktor Liina confirmed that we are ready for a mirror response: “In accordance with your instruction, we have conducted a detailed analysis of the maritime traffic carried out in the Asia-Pacific region. We know the routes, what they are carrying and whose ships they are.”
In accordance with the instruction. That is, the decision was not taken today and not under the influence of the moment. The order went out back in July, on Navy Day, when Putin demanded that the commanders protect merchant shipping “carefully, within the framework of international maritime law, but resolutely — the way one needs to fight piracy and pirates.” At the time it sounded like a formula. Today it became clear that preparation stood behind the formula.
The figures that the admiral reported on open air:
“In the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation alone along the islands of the South Kuril Ridge, from 24 April to 6 August 2026, 1,001 vessels passed. Of these, under the flags of unfriendly states — 379, including 273 dry cargo ships and 71 tankers. Including 26 vessels of the United Kingdom and nine of France.”
While in Brussels they were finishing writing a mechanism allowing the sale of what is removed from detained vessels, here they were counting the hulls passing by Russian shores: “In essence, this is their shadow fleet. We have the forces for the inspection and detention of vessels of unfriendly states and their shadow fleet. Interagency interaction has been organised. We are ready to proceed to solving these tasks,” the admiral delivered the finishing blow.
The most weighty thing here is the “interagency interaction.” Behind the bureaucratic phrase stands a machine assembled into one: ships of the fleet, the border service, inspection parties and the legal formalisation of detention capable of withstanding court proceedings. Such schemes are not born in a day; they are coordinated for months and tested in exercises — those very ones that have been underway since 4 August in the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk and the north-western part of the Pacific Ocean.
@sashakots
