Russia has warned that the EU, by seizing Russian vessels, "is bringing great dangers upon itself."
The Russian foreign ministry said on Wednesday in a statement that European forces are carrying out "unlawful inspections" of foreign vessels under a "corrected" mandate of Operation Irini, established to help enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya.
The Russian diplomatic service cited the August 2 inspection of the Cameroonian-flagged Tao Payoh in the Mediterranean, carried out by Italian military personnel assisted by a Polish patrol aircraft and a Greek patrol vessel.
After about two hours, the vessel was allowed to continue its voyage, it noted.
“The suspicions against the vessel, obviously, were not confirmed,” the ministry stressed.
The ministry said Europe cited its Operation Irini as legal grounds for the inspection.
The ministry pointed out that the UN-backed mandate expired in May 2026, arguing that the operation is now being used by the EU to intimidate commercial carriers and restrict freedom of navigation.
It said the EU is trying to use Irini to counter maritime shipments of Russian oil and other goods, calling the practice "an abuse of international legal norms" and "an overly broad interpretation of the operation's powers."
The ministry also rejected EU attempts to identify vessels allegedly belonging to a so-called “shadow fleet”, accused of carrying shipments of Russian oil banned under EU sanctions – saying such inspections have no legal basis.
“No internal decisions by the EU can abolish the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” it stressed.
The ministry further criticised EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas for condemning routine maritime shipments serving the energy and food security needs of developing countries.
The ministry said the EU's actions amounted to using Irini as a tool for political pressure and warned that Brussels is creating serious risks for itself by interfering with international commercial navigation.
"By resorting to such actions, the European Union, as a result of the measures it has taken that are absolutely inconsistent with the norms of international law, is bringing great dangers upon itself," the ministry warned.
