Russian Foreign Intelligence Warns the West: 'They Mistake Our Calmness for Weakness'

Alexander Pastuhov, an official from Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), stated that Western countries are utilizing loopholes in the United Nations convention to seize Russian maritime cargo. Pastuhov emphasized that Russia needs to develop new legal mechanisms within itself in response to Western countries' sanctions.Pastuhov noted that Western countries have reached a deadlock in terms of sanctions, and according to the information received by the SVR, they are aware that the sanctions they have imposed are insufficient to achieve their goals against Russia.

The West mistakenly perceives our calm and composed stance as weakness. Therefore, we should start with the law. It is now vitally important for us to foresee new legal mechanisms in our legislation to counter these hostile intentions and actions.

Pastuhov claimed that the West is creating a 'legal illusion' by seizing Russian maritime cargo in the interests of Ukraine, which stems from a loophole in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea:

They are relying on Article 110 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. This article states that a warship has the right to inspect a civilian ship to check its documents. However, the article does not clearly state what should be done if a violation or document issue is detected on the ship. The West is using this loophole to detain the ships and their crew.