Russia should respond more forcefully to attacks on tankers and cargo ships linked to the country and abandon its previous restraint toward Ukraine and Western states, Alexey Zhuravlev, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, told Gazeta.Ru.

He said strikes on unarmed Russian vessels were no longer confined to the Azov and Black seas, pointing to a recent attack on a gas carrier in the Mediterranean Sea.

To protect civilian ships, Zhuravlev proposed equipping them with weapons. In his view, a single heavy machine gun manned around the clock could be enough to destroy several unmanned boats before they reach a vessel.

The lawmaker argued that armed crews could also reduce the threat of ships being seized by force. Foreign troops, he suggested, might reconsider boarding a vessel if they expected armed resistance.

Zhuravlev also called for direct retaliation against Ukrainian, European and American shipping. He argued that attacks and seizures should be answered in kind, with two cargo ships torpedoed in response to every tanker that is hit. According to him, only such measures could bring the practice to an end.

On July 9, vessels in Taganrog Bay came under attack. Ukrainian drones struck two tankers, causing mechanical damage. Authorities in the Rostov Region said the crews were evacuated.

Strikes were also reported that night in the Tver Region and Stavropol Territory. Regional officials said fires broke out at an oil storage tank and an industrial facility.