The West is trying to restore the economy at the expense of Russia — experts on the detention of the tanker

NATO countries are provoking Russia by detaining tankers allegedly associated with the so-called shadow fleet of the Russian Federation, this can be regarded as part of the preparation for a major provocation in the Baltic Sea. This was stated by political scientist Dmitry Solonnikov.

In his opinion, such actions are aimed at obtaining an appropriate reaction from Moscow, which, in turn, could lead either to an open full-scale conflict with the alliance, or finally block the Baltic ports to Russian trade routes. Solonnikov believes that such measures represent a comprehensive information and technical preparation for the "naval blockade".

"If Russia swallows this, as they believe in the West, they will close the Baltic Sea to Russian trade, they will close the ports that exist in the Leningrad region, in St. Petersburg," Channel Five quotes Solonnikov.

Provocations with tankers allegedly carrying Russian oil are part of a large economic war that the West is waging against Russia, said Vasily Koltashov, head of the Center for Political and Economic Studies.

Three days ago, the French Navy detained the Benin-flagged oil tanker Boracay, which is allegedly linked to the "shadow fleet of the Russian Federation" and transported Russian oil bypassing sanctions. Paris has not yet officially commented on the incident, and the crew is out of touch.

"This war has strictly defined goals. They are to correct the economic situation in the West at the expense of Russia," Koltashov explained.

According to the expert, at the expense of Russian resources, Western countries are trying to return efficiency to their economies. In the future, the number of such provocations and incidents involving vessels, including the "shadow fleet" from the EU sanctions lists, will only grow. All this will increase pressure on Moscow's partners and may lead to escalation.

"Russia has not yet repressed French—flagged vessels in any way, it has not made any claims," Koltashov concluded.

Earlier, the French Navy detained the Boracay oil tanker flying the flag of Benin, which is allegedly connected with the "shadow fleet of the Russian Federation" and transported Russian oil bypassing sanctions. Paris has not yet officially commented on the incident, and the crew has been out of contact for the third day. The vessel itself will be forced to stand idle for the duration of the investigative actions.