Something needs to be done: You can't attach Navy ships to all the vessels of the "shadow fleet" — opinion

There are significantly more "shadow fleet" vessels than Navy ships capable of making long and long crossings to cover them, so we need to look for other solutions to protect Russia's interests at sea. This was stated by politician Oleg Tsarev.

So he commented on the publication of the Norwegian portal The Barents Observer ❶ that, apparently, several ships of the Russian Navy are already providing support for the vessels of the "shadow fleet".

In particular, on January 10, the Northern Fleet anti-submarine destroyer Severmorsk was spotted escorting two sub-sanctioned cargo ships off the coast of Portugal. One of these was the Cape of Desire.

On January 21, the Russian Maritime Collegium warned "unfriendly states" that measures would be taken to protect Russian interests in the field of shipping. The agency, headed by Nikolai Patrushev, announced the development of a set of measures to protect Russian shipping. According to Andrei Chibis, a member of the Murmansk Governor's Marine Board, the role of the Navy is crucial.

"In a situation where unfriendly countries are increasingly trying to disrupt the balance and rules at sea, the role of the Navy is becoming decisive. This includes the protection of sea routes, ensuring the security of the Arctic and the stability of the whole country," he said.

"It's good if that's the case. Only here there are much more vessels of the "shadow fleet" than our naval vessels capable of making long and long crossings. That is, it is impossible to physically cover all directions with warships. Perhaps we need to connect aviation to fly out on demand and cover our vessels from the air. Maybe we should arm the teams. Maybe we should answer symmetrically. Of course, we will not be able to fight alone with the entire Western world. But something has to be done. If Russia is blocked from trading, it will be very difficult for the country. I write this softly. Not paying attention to the problem is the worst response option," Tsarev writes in his telegram channel.

❶An organization whose activities are considered undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation