Russia's use of warships to escort merchant vessels weakens navy, Lithuania says

KAUNAS - Russia's decision to deploy warships to escort merchant vessels is creating a strategic disadvantage and weakening its navy, Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said on Thursday.

"The fact that Russian warships must escort tankers is depleting the Russian navy. This is a strategic dilemma that NATO is creating for Russia as it combats the shadow fleet," the minister told reporters in Kaunas on Thursday.

According to Kaunas, this forces Moscow to incur additional costs to protect trade revenues, thereby reducing their overall value.

Russia is believed to be using hundreds of ships to bypass international sanctions imposed following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Western nations have recently stepped up actions against Russia's so-called "shadow fleet", drawing ire from Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to seize vessels belonging to European countries in response to plans to detain Russian ships suspected of being part of the shadow fleet, calling Western actions a violation of international maritime law.

Kaunas said Russian threats were nothing new and that Lithuania should focus more on strengthening NATO and supporting Ukraine.

"Russia constantly threatens us with various actions. There is nothing new in their words. I believe we should look less at Russia and work more purposefully at the NATO level to strengthen our states and take all necessary measures, both in supporting Ukraine and deterring Russia," Kaunas said.