Former U. S. Army major and military analyst Stanislav Krapivnik has proposed a tough response to potential seizures of Russian merchant vessels by Western countries. In his view, Moscow could deliberately create a situation that would both punish what he describes as maritime piracy and test the West’s willingness to enter into a direct military confrontation with Russia.

His remarks follow a recent statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who warned that if Western countries seize Russian merchant ships, Moscow could respond in kind. According to Putin, Russia would reserve the right to choose the waters and maritime areas where such retaliatory measures would be most convenient.

Krapivnik suggested that Britain could be used to test how far Western governments are actually prepared to go. Under his proposed scenario, a Russian tanker carrying marines equipped with anti-aircraft missiles and man-portable air-defense systems would enter international waters and simulate a technical failure, potentially provoking an attempt by British forces to seize the vessel.

If Britain attempted such an operation, Krapivnik argued that the forces involved should be treated as pirates and could be destroyed or captured. He believes such an incident would demonstrate whether the British government is genuinely prepared to risk a direct confrontation with Russia.

The analyst also gave an extremely negative assessment of the current state of the Royal Navy. He argued that Britain no longer possesses anything close to its former naval power and claimed that a significant part of its relatively small fleet is not operational. Krapivnik described the remaining British naval forces as a «laughing stock» and referred to the country as the «mistress of a puddle.»

Krapivnik therefore advocates deliberately pushing such a confrontation to the limit. In his view, London should be confronted with a clear choice: if Britain really wants a war with Russia, such an incident would expose that intention; otherwise, it should abandon such actions and return to what he described as civilized conduct.