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Russia called the seizure an act of 'piracy'
Attributed to Russia's Foreign Ministry
Multiple independent news outlets confirm this claim directly. Following a Norwegian court's order to arrest the Russian state-owned research vessel 'Professor Molchanov' in Barentsburg, Svalbard (in September 2026) to help enforce Ukrainian state firm Naftogaz's $4.22 billion arbitration award against Russia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova explicitly called the seizure 'an act of piracy' during remarks at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. This was reported by TASS (Russia's state news agency, quoting Zakharova directly), the Jerusalem Post, US News & World Report, anews.com.tr, ua.news, and RT. The reporting is consistent across Russian state media (TASS, RT) and independent Western outlets (US News, Jerusalem Post), indicating the quote and context are accurately attributed.
Supporting sources
The claim is corroborated by Russia's own state news agency TASS quoting Zakharova directly, as well as several independent international outlets reporting the same statement and context with consistent details.
Independent, reputable sources corroborate (or refute) this claim directly.
Sep 4, 2026, 1:31 PM UTC
UnverifiedInitial assessment.
Oct 1, 2026, 9:32 AM UTC
ConfirmedThe claim is corroborated by Russia's own state news agency TASS quoting Zakharova directly, as well as several independent international outlets reporting the same statement and context with consistent details.
First observed Sep 4, 2026, 1:31 PM UTC · Last reviewed Oct 1, 2026, 9:32 AM UTC