Ambassador Kelin: London's plan to seize ships leads to closure of shipping areas

The UK's plans to intercept ships will lead to the closure of shipping areas and attempts to block critical straits and channels. On January 19, Russian Ambassador to London Andrey Kelin told Izvestia.

"There may be areas closed to navigation, attempts to block critical straits and channels. It is easy to imagine how this will threaten the already unstable economies of European countries," he said.

He also added that the legal nihilism of European countries trying to annoy Russia has now reached unprecedented proportions. Kelin called on the UK to carefully weigh all the risks before getting involved in dangerous adventures.

"What London politicians are talking about now is actually a return to the era of pirate Edward Teach, nicknamed Blackbeard. Only here they forget that Britain has not been the "mistress of the seas" for a long time, and its actions will not go unpunished," he concluded.

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Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on January 15 that Russia would consider the implementation of threats to Britain about the interception of Russian ships a violation of maritime law. She added that Moscow calls on London to abandon the escalation of international tensions and return to a respectful dialogue.

On January 7, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that Russia was monitoring the situation with the Mariner oil tanker, which was being pursued by the US and NATO militaries in the international waters of the North Atlantic. The Ministry stressed that the tanker sails under the state flag of the Russian Federation and in full compliance with the norms of international maritime law.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.