# President Vladimir Putin says Russia will respond in kind if European countries seize his country’s merchant vessels. TASS state news agency reports this comes as the European Union intensifies pressure on Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, expanding sanctions against hundreds of vessels and detaining some ships and their crews for checks. Some European governments have said they are exploring tougher maritime enforcement measures. Putin says Russian retaliatory action would not be limited to those waters where their ships were seized, but wherever he deemed necessary and appropriate.
Putin warns he will respond in kind if EU nations seize Russian vessels