Russia is preparing a set of measures aimed at strengthening the security of maritime transport, including installing protective systems on civilian vessels and organizing naval escorts. This was announced by Nikolai Patrushev, aide to the Russian president and head of the Maritime Board.

He pointed to a recent increase in the risks of sabotage and terrorist attacks targeting ships heading to Russian ports, which, in his view, has made additional security steps necessary.

Among the proposed measures is the escort of commercial vessels by ships of the Russian Navy. Patrushev noted that diplomatic and legal tools alone are not always sufficient to counter what he described as a Western campaign against Russian shipping. He added that if threats from European countries intensify, Moscow may take further action at sea.

According to him, Russia is tightening control over fleets operating in its economic and strategic interests. One option under consideration would allow captains of Russian-flagged vessels to request armed сопровождение, potentially involving mobile fire groups.

Patrushev also referred to a recent incident in the Mediterranean involving the gas carrier Arctic Metagaz, which he described as having been attacked by Ukrainian maritime drones and characterized the event as an act of international terrorism.

Another episode occurred in early March 2026, when a Russian-flagged tanker carrying liquefied natural gas from Murmansk caught fire near Malta’s territorial waters following a drone attack launched from the Libyan coast. The crew was evacuated. Russia’s Ministry of Transport described the incident as maritime piracy and stated that it had taken place with the tacit allowance of European states.