Lavrov warns of a mirror and asymmetric response to the West's seizure of vessels

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in an article for Kommersant, stated that Western attempts to impose rules in international waters by force are doomed and will receive a mirror response. He called NATO's and the EU's claims to control over maritime waters unacceptable and separately addressed the situation around the Strait of Hormuz.

Aziz KarimovFirst published on tafs uz 10 November 2026 at 06:012 min read

The key facts

Lavrov stated that freedom of navigation must be ensured for all states without exception
He called the closure of the Strait of Hormuz a source of international instability
Earlier, Zakharova spoke of readiness for mirror measures after the release of the tanker Sea Owl I

Lavrov's statement on maritime waters

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that attempts by Western countries to impose their own rules in international waters by force will not go unanswered. According to him, NATO's and the European Union's claims to control over maritime waters are unacceptable, and freedom of navigation must be ensured for all states without exception. The minister set out these points in an article for the newspaper Kommersant, which is cited by Life.ru.

Which regions are mentioned and what was said about the Strait of Hormuz

Lavrov stressed that the principle of freedom of navigation is equally important in the Red, Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Seas, off the coast of Somalia, in the English Channel, the Caribbean and the coastal waters of the EU. In his view, no region of the World Ocean should become an exception to the general rules. He separately addressed the situation around the Strait of Hormuz: the minister called its closure amid the conflict with Iran a serious source of international instability that dealt a painful blow to the energy sector.

Warning of a mirror response and context

Criticizing what he sees as the coercive policies of Western states, Lavrov warned that such methods could provoke responses of various kinds. 'It must be understood that actions from a position of strength — especially a weakening one — as well as policies of pressure, blackmail and diktat are doomed and will be met with a mirror and asymmetric response,' Life.ru quotes him as saying. The minister's statement is consistent with the position previously voiced by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova: after the release of the tanker Sea Owl I she stated that Moscow reserves the right to respond to the detention of ships acting in Russia's interests, regardless of the area where the incident occurs, and is ready to take mirror measures if its vessels are seized in the World Ocean.