Putin Warns Russia May Hit Ukraine Allies’ Ships If Attacks Last

By Bloomberg News (Bloomberg) — Vladimir Putin warned that Russia may consider striking the ships of countries supporting Ukraine if a surge in attacks on Moscow’s tanker fleet continues, according to local media reports.

“What the Ukrainian armed forces are doing now is piracy,” Interfax reported. 

He said the first possible countermeasures are to expand the range of Russian strikes against port facilities and ships calling at Ukrainian ports.

“Second, if this continues, we will consider the possibility — I’m not saying we will do this, but we will consider the possibility of retaliatory measures against the vessels of those countries that assist Ukraine in committing these piracy acts,” he said.

There have been at least nine attacks on Russian commercial ships, most of them tankers, in the past year. The perpetrators, for the most part, have not taken responsibility for the acts.

The past week has seen a surge in activity, with four such incidents. 

“The most radical option is to cut Ukraine off from the sea, then piracy will be impossible in principle,” he said.

© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.

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