The Kremlin has said it will pursue all available legal avenues if Britain proceeds with plans to sell Russian crude oil seized from a tanker earlier this month.
British media have reported that the government is considering auctioning around 100,000 tonnes of crude from the Smyrtos, which was intercepted by British forces in the English Channel on 14 June. The proceeds could reportedly be used to support Ukraine.
The vessel is believed to be part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" - ageing tankers used to transport oil while evading Western sanctions. British authorities said the Smyrtos had been sailing under a Cameroonian flag after departing the Russian port of Ust-Luga, but had been removed from Cameroon's shipping register before it was intercepted, leaving it effectively stateless under international maritime law.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described any sale of the cargo as unlawful and warned that Moscow would respond through the courts.
"There are certainly legal options for responding," he said, adding that they would be used "to the fullest extent possible."
Peskov also accused Britain of historical wrongdoing, describing the reported proposal as an "attempt to expropriate and sell the pirate's booty."
The seizure has further strained already tense relations between Moscow and London as the war in Ukraine continues.
The operation, involving Royal Marines, the National Crime Agency and Royal Navy support, marked Britain's first seizure of a suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker since expanding its powers to intercept sanctioned vessels. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said at the time that the operation was intended to disrupt Russia's ability to finance its war in Ukraine, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the move and urged European countries to introduce legislation allowing not only the detention of such tankers but also the confiscation of their cargoes.
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