Moscow Cries 'Escalation' After US Tanker Seizure, Forgets NATO's Backyard
Moscow, always a stickler for international norms when it suits them, finds the US seizing a Russian tanker in international waters a profound threat to global stability. This sudden concern for maritime calm comes after years of Russia's own aggressive naval posturing, from the Black Sea to the Baltic, routinely testing and violating the territorial integrity of sovereign nations. It appears
'escalation' is a pejorative only when aimed back at Moscow itself. The FT's framing dutifully presents Russia's grievance without bothering to contextualize their own recent history of international law disregard. The hypocrisy practically writes itself: A tanker seizure is an 'escalation,' but invading a sovereign nation, blockading its ports, and threatening nuclear retaliation is merely
'special military operation.' The West, of course, has its own history of selective international law application, but few nations can match Russia's recent audacity in demanding respect for rules they openly flout. The irony, as always, is lost on those holding the bullhorn.