Russian media has suggested that Moscow may pull out from a fishing treaty with the United Kingdom that allowed British trawlers to fish in the Barents Sea off the coast of Russia’s Kola Peninsula.
The agreement was signed between London and Moscow in 1956 and gave rise to British vessels fishing vast quantities of cod and haddock in the waters, with 566,784 tonnes of cod being caught only during the last year, according to the Daily Mail.
Much of this fish reportedly went towards making one of Britain’s iconic dishes, fish and chips. However, the termination of the deal may spark shortages at British chippies.
Moscow’s move to cancel the fishing agreement would come as the UK removed Russia’s “most favored nation” trading status last year.
Following the escalation of the Ukrainian conflict in February 2022, the UK, along with the United States and many EU states, attempted to cripple Russia’s economy through economic sanctions and the seizure of Russia’s assets abroad.
The sanctions, however, backfired, doing plenty of harm to the economies of the very countries that imposed them while failing to produce the desired effect in Russia.