Continued seizures of Russian vessels that NATO countries describe as part of Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet could trigger a major escalation and potentially lead to the use of tactical nuclear weapons, Russian military expert and former State Duma deputy Andrey Kolesnik told Gazeta. Ru.

Kolesnik argued that European actions are pushing the confrontation toward nuclear escalation and potentially a third world war. He said Russia would not stand by if its ships were seized or destroyed and could respond in kind by detaining Western vessels in different parts of the world.

In his assessment, further seizures of Russian ships could bring the confrontation dangerously close to the use of tactical nuclear weapons.

Kolesnik also said Russia has no plans to escalate relations with NATO countries. He accused the West of deliberately increasing tensions and said further attempts to seize Russian vessels would create another dangerous round of escalation.

His comments followed a Euronews report that the European Union intends to expand its naval mission in the Mediterranean. The reported objectives include countering Russia’s so-called shadow fleet and protecting underwater infrastructure.