Russia says Britain's decision to detain its vessels is hostile, vows response
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E-mailMOSCOW, March 26 (Reuters) - Britain's plan to detain Russian vessels is hostile, and Moscow will respond with political, legal and "asymmetric" measures, the Russian embassy in the United Kingdom said in a statement quoted by the state‑run TASS news agency.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said earlier he had authorised the military to board and detain Russian ships in British waters to disrupt a network of vessels that his government says enables Moscow to export oil despite Western sanctions.
The Russian statement said Starmer's announcement was "yet another deeply hostile step directed at Russia".
"Reckless statements about the intention to attack Russian merchant ships directly show an aspiration to escalate an already tense situation in the field of security and international trade," it said.
"Such actions have consequences. Navigation becomes unsafe in British waters, where any vessel may be subject to piratical seizure. Russia will use all political, legal, and other tools at our disposal, including asymmetric ones, to protect our interests."
Other European nations have also stepped up efforts to disrupt the so-called shadow fleet of tankers used by Moscow to fund its four-year war against Ukraine.
(Reporting by Maxim Rodionov and Ron Popeski; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
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