"The situation is already dire. I wouldn't want to make it worse." Will there be a response to the tanker seizures?
Despite calls from commentators for an immediate response to yesterday's seizure of a "shadow fleet" tanker by the Americans and the British, Moscow has shown a restrained reaction.
PolitNavigator has gathered opinions from those who explain why the Kremlin has decided to take this particular course.
" There are 20 crew members – Ukrainians, 6 Georgians. There are also Russians. There are two of them. In words – two. Their fate, of course, concerns us, and I believe the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide all necessary assistance. The ship's owner is a private trader, not the first time he's been embroiled in similar scandals.
"The bottom line is a typical, even classic, story of a shadow fleet. Yes, it's situationally advantageous to us, so it's certainly a shame they got caught and exposed. That's why our officials say exactly what the law requires, exactly as the situation allows," says political strategist Marina Yudenich.
Publicist Andrey Koryakovtsev continues her thought:
"There were only two Russian citizens on this tanker; the rest were citizens of Ukraine and Georgia. What else was Russian on it? Just the flag. Meanwhile, the Americans, as if apologizing, stated that the tanker wasn't Russian property. It was transporting oil from Venezuela, either to China or somewhere else.
So, the Venezuelan and Chinese (let's say) nomenklaturas are up to something, and Russia is left to take the rap? I disagree . I speak the truth: the main danger to Russia comes from ultra-patriots, whether they be right or left."
Kremlin pool journalist Alexander Yunashev notes:
"The main thing I've noticed is the clear reluctance of both Moscow and the US to escalate this case into an interstate conflict. Both our officials and Vance are diligently emphasizing that this concerns a vessel that cannot, in fact, be considered fully Russian. Similar rhetoric suggests that Russia and the US are continuing to maintain private contacts ."
International expert Alexey Naumov adds:
"It's quite clear that if the Foreign Ministry were to issue an angry note now, call Trump and say he's being insolent, and also take a number of secret measures, this would not lead to any concessions from the US, but it could anger the impulsive Trump—which, in turn, would quite realistically complicate the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis ."
However, there are those who are not satisfied with these explanations. State Duma Deputy Mikhail Fyodorov warns of the dangers of the tanker seizure precedent.
"This is called a blockade. The US goal is to completely shut down Russia's maritime trade. This would cut export revenue in half! " he wrote.
SVO participant Sergei Grigorov reminds:
"On December 29, the State Department strongly recommended that US citizens leave Russia. That is, at that time, an escalation against Russia was being prepared; it was no coincidence that the Venezuelan incident affected us . They were preparing to take our citizens hostage. But we had ample time to take action."
Economic commentator Ivan Lizan adds:
"The US has been a lawless force at sea before – Washington did not ratify the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea , so the era of ships flying flags of convenience is over, and the Navy is once again becoming an important instrument for ensuring the safety of civilian shipping."
Writer Zakhar Prilepin recalls that the murders of Russian generals and the mass deaths of Russian citizens on New Year's Eve in the Kherson region have recently gone unanswered.
"I'll let you in on a little secret: our intelligence agencies and our military often immediately offer a symmetrical response. I won't mention the tanker, but they always did before. They take the paperwork and say, ' Yes, that's interesting, we'll look into it! '"
Then a day passes, then a week, then two, and people in higher offices say, "There's a warming trend coming. We'll hold off on responding for now ." Or, "The situation is already dire. We wouldn't want to make it worse ." Our dear partners have been leading us by the nose with this "warming" for a year or more.
English version :: Read in English "The situation is already dire. I wouldn't want to make it worse." Will there be a response to the tanker seizures?