Putin warns Europe over seizure of Russian vessels

Russia has a group of ships that some countries in Europe think are helping Russia get around rules called sanctions.

Sanctions are restrictions countries use to pressure other countries, such as limits on selling oil.

Some European countries have stopped and checked Russian ships, and some have even taken the ships and their crews.

The leader of Russia, Vladimir Putin, was not happy about this.

He said taking Russian ships is like "piracy and banditry," which means acting like sea robbers.

He warned that Russia will do the same thing back to those countries.

He said Russia can do this anywhere it wants, not just where the ships were taken.

Putin said this while visiting an island in Russia called Sakhalin, where soldiers were practicing for battle.

He also said he is worried that NATO, a group of many countries, is moving into the Asia-Pacific region.