President Vladimir Putin issued a warning to European countries on Wednesday if they tried to seize Russian merchant vessels.

According to the TASS state news agency and reported by Reuters, Putin warned the EU of “response in kind” if they tried to seize or restrict commercial ships while discussing maritime issues.

The warning comes as the EU has ramped up the pressure against Moscow and its shadow fleet. The countries also intensified crackdown by expanding sanctions against hundreds of vessels and detaining ships for checks.

European companies have intercepted several ships carrying Russian oil, violating EU sanctions aimed to cut off this crucial revenue flow. Furthermore, new sanctions enacted last month authorize EU member states to sell the confiscated oil as well as any other cargo aboard the seized vessels.

In response to those Russian ships that evaded the sanctions, the European government called for stringent “maritime enforcement measures.”

Putin slammed these measures, stating, "Of course, this is nothing short of piracy and banditry. And if ​this is actually put into practice, we will be ​forced to respond in kind."

According to TASS, he also warned of the expansion of the aggressive measures, citing that “‌any ⁠Russian retaliatory action would not be limited to those waters where Russian ships were seized, but will happen wherever we deem it necessary and appropriate."

During the briefing, Putin also spoke about NATO, accusing the defence alliance of making “inroads into the Asia-Pacific region” and instigating tensions in the Arctic.

"NATO is making inroads into the region, new military-political blocs are being formed, and new weapons systems that ⁠pose ​a threat to Russia are being ​deployed or are slated for deployment," Putin said.

Putin also accused Japan of imposing unprovoked sanctions on Russia. He claimed Japan has designated Moscow as a source of major threat but we do not threaten Japan and have no claims against it.