Kremlin says Russia has right to defend itself from ‘piracy’ after report of warship escort near UK

MOSCOW, April 9 (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia had the right to defend itself from what it called piracy after Britain’s Telegraph newspaper reported that a Russian navy frigate had escorted UK‑sanctioned tankers through the English Channel.

A Russian navy frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, had escorted two UK‑sanctioned oil tankers, the Russian‑flagged Universal and the Cameroon‑flagged Enigma, through the English Channel, the Telegraph reported.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked about the media report, said that Moscow had seen repeated cases of what he described as piracy in international waters and that Russia would act to ensure the safety of its own shipping.

“Over the past few months, we have witnessed repeated incidents of piracy in international waters. These incidents of piracy have, among other things, harmed the economic interests of the Russian Federation,” Peskov told reporters.

“The Russian Federation considers itself entitled to, and will certainly take, measures to protect its interests.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said last month that he had authorised the military to board and detain Russian ships in British waters to disrupt a network of vessels that his government says enables Moscow to export oil despite Western sanctions.

(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov, Writing by Anna Peverieri;Editing by Andrew Osborn)