The bloc is seeking to put the Baltic and the Arctic under a "barrack-like" regime, the Russian ambassador to Norway has said

NATO countries are plotting an illegal maritime blockade of Russia, particularly in the Baltic and the Arctic regions, Moscow's ambassador to Norway, Nikolay Korchunov, has said.

In an interview with RIA Novosti published on Saturday, Korchunov accused the bloc's members, including Norway, of "putting the Baltic-Arctic region on a barrack-like footing" by holding a series of exercises. This, he added, is aimed at "restricting freedom of navigation and violates international law norms."

According to the envoy, NATO is also developing plans for "a partial or complete naval blockade" of Russia. In addition, such NATO members as Norway, Sweden, and Finland "are working together to increase military mobility through the development of transport and logistics corridors from west to east, as well as through cross-border use of bases and other military infrastructure."

These preparations increase tensions and represent a direct threat to Russia's national security and would force Moscow to take countermeasures, Korchunov warned.

His remarks come after Bloomberg reported on Friday that UK Defense Secretary John Healey had met with counterparts from Baltic and Nordic nations on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to discuss seizing Russia-linked oil tankers.

In recent months, Western countries have detained several Russia-linked cargo vessels under various pretenses. Moscow has consistently condemned the seizures as "piracy" and a blatant violation of international maritime law.

Last year, Russian presidential aide Nikolay Patrushev warned that NATO is seeking to undermine Moscow's economy by considering a blockade of the country, including by paralyzing Russian ports in the St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad regions. He also pointed out that the bloc is seeking to turn the Black and Baltic Seas into "internal waters of the alliance," adding that Moscow is preparing countermeasures in response.