ROME, August 18. /TASS/. Italy and other European Union countries are violating maritime law and the freedom of navigation, the Russian embassy in Italy said as it accused the republic of abusing existing international norms and broadly interpreting its mandate.

"Citing the circumvention of EU sanctions and the fight against the 'Russian shadow fleet', the European Union has continued to take unlawful action against foreign vessels as it boards and seizes them," the diplomatic mission wrote on its Telegram channel, referring to the latest inspection of the Cameroon-flagged vessel Tao Payoh carried out on August 2 by the Italian war ship Thaon di Revel as part of the EU naval mission, known as operation Irini.

The Irini mission, the embassy recalled, had a UN Security Council mandate to monitor the observance of a ban on weapons supplies to Libya, collect information about illicit Libyan oil exports and disrupt illegal human trafficking at sea, with the mandate expiring in May.