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Putin has threatened to seize European commercial ships if EU countries go ahead with plans to confiscate and sell cargo from Russia’s shadow fleet.

Getting into it: He made the threat Wednesday aboard the missile cruiser Varyag off Sakhalin, where the Pacific Fleet was in the middle of exercises. Putin said certain governments were violating international maritime law by restricting the movement of vessels operated by Russian businesses, and had gone further by seizing ships and selling property taken from them. “This is, of course, nothing other than piracy and robbery,” he said. “If this begins to be put into practice, we shall be forced to respond in kind.”

He was explicit that any retaliation would not be confined to the waters where Russian ships are being detained. He said Russia would act “wherever we ourselves consider it necessary and appropriate. Anywhere, including in the Pacific Fleet’s area of responsibility.” Orders to prepare a response had already gone out to the Defense Ministry, he added.

Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Viktor Liina then laid out what that preparation looks like. He told Putin the navy had run a detailed analysis of Asia-Pacific shipping traffic and knew the routes, the cargo and the owners. Between April 24 and Aug. 6, he said, 1,001 vessels passed through Russia’s exclusive economic zone along the Kuril Islands, 379 of them flying flags of countries Moscow classifies as unfriendly. That group included 273 dry bulk carriers and 71 tankers, 26 of them British and nine French. “We have enough assets for inspection and detention of vessels of the unfriendly nations and their shadow fleet,” Liina said. “We are ready to start performing the task.”

The trigger is the EU’s 21st sanctions package, adopted in July, which gives member states the power to pull oil and grain off shadow fleet ships evading the bloc’s restrictions and sell the cargo. The UK and EU countries have stopped five tankers hauling Russian oil so far this year, including the MV South Star on July 20 and the Smyrtos, held by the UK since June 14 with 100,000 metric tons of oil aboard. France grabbed the Grinch, Deyna and Tagor and later let all three go. Sweden took the cargo ship Caffa in March over grain Kyiv says came from occupied Ukrainian territory, and Sweden’s Supreme Court ruled this month that Ukraine gets the ship.

Putin also used the appearance to accuse NATO of pushing into the Asia-Pacific, saying the alliance is standing up fresh blocs in the region and putting weapons in place that Moscow treats as aimed at Russia.

This all comes as Russia has begun escorting its own commercial vessels with warships.