MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/. Russia has the right to attack any merchant ship in neutral waters if it is transporting cargo in the interests of the enemy, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev stated.

"The vast majority of Western European ships also sail under flags of convenience. So what does that mean? It means that, guided by a fair, symmetrical approach, Russia has the right to attack any merchant vessel of an enemy country in our waters or neutral waters if there are sufficient grounds to suspect that it is carrying cargo for the enemy. That is, any cargo! There are many such vessels," the politician wrote on his Telegram channel, commenting on Western statements about the so-called Russian shadow fleet.

"Our armed forces are capable of significantly extending their operations beyond the borders of the Black Sea basin," Medvedev pointed out, adding that this was precisely what Pacific Fleet Commander Viktor Liina had reported today to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking about the context of the issue, the security official recalled that "Western European lapdogs are frantically barking about the so-called Russian shadow fleet" and suggested figuring out exactly what that is. "This refers to ordinary merchant ships that sail under a non-Russian flag but conduct transport operations in our interests. Such a flag is usually called a ‘flag of convenience’ or a ‘friendly flag.’ It’s a system where a vessel is registered in a country other than the owner’s country in order to reduce taxes and regulatory costs," the politician explained. Medvedev specified that such "flags of convenience" countries include Panama, Liberia, the Marshall Islands, the Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Malta, and the Seychelles. "Of course, European officials have no right to detain such vessels, neither under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea nor under national legislation. This is blatant arbitrariness," he emphasized.

Earlier, while in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk aboard the Pacific Fleet’s flagship, the Varyag Guards missile cruiser, Putin addressed the same issue. The president pointed out that, in violation of international maritime law, the authorities of some Western countries have long attempted to restrict the movement of civilian vessels belonging to Russian economic operators and have recently considered seizing Russian ships and selling the seized property. Putin called this "piracy and robbery" and promised that Moscow would retaliate wherever it deems appropriate, not necessarily in the waters where such raids are planned. Putin added that he has given the relevant instructions to the Russian Defense Ministry and passed them on to the command, including that of the Pacific Fleet.