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Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday (January 8) accused the United States of illegally using force against the oil tanker Marinera in international waters, warning the incident risks escalating military and political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region.
In a strongly worded statement, Moscow said US armed forces boarded and seized the civilian tanker on January 7 while it was peacefully transiting the North Atlantic en route to a Russian port.
“The boarding and de facto seizure of a civilian vessel on the high seas by US military personnel… can only be viewed as a gross violation of fundamental principles and norms of international maritime law,” the ministry said.
Russian flag status disputed
According to Moscow, the Marinera had been temporarily authorised to fly the Russian flag on December 24 “in accordance with international and Russian law.” Russian officials said US authorities had been repeatedly informed of the vessel’s legal status.
“There could have been no doubt regarding this fact, nor any basis for alleging that the tanker was sailing ‘without a flag’ or ‘under a false flag,’” the statement said.
Jurisdiction and consent
Russia said international maritime law grants exclusive jurisdiction over vessels on the high seas to the flag state, except in narrowly defined cases such as piracy or slave trading.
“Stopping and inspecting a vessel in international waters is permitted only under strictly limited circumstances—none of which apply to the Marinera,” the ministry said, adding that any inspection would have required Moscow’s consent.
It said Russia had explicitly refused such consent and had formally protested to Washington over what it described as the US Coast Guard’s prolonged pursuit of the tanker.
Crew detention and safety concerns
Moscow also raised concerns over the welfare of the tanker’s multinational crew, saying their detention was unacceptable and dangerous.
“The lives and health of the Marinera’s crew… are now at risk,” the ministry said, calling US threats of legal action against crew members “utterly unacceptable.”
Russia further accused US forces of endangering the environment by carrying out what it described as an unsafe pursuit and armed seizure in severe weather conditions.
Sanctions justification rejected
The Foreign Ministry dismissed US references to domestic sanctions laws as illegitimate and lacking legal standing under international law.
“The unilateral restrictive measures imposed by the US and other Western countries are illegitimate and cannot justify the seizure of vessels on the high seas,” it said.
Moscow also rejected suggestions from US officials that the tanker seizure was part of broader enforcement efforts related to Venezuela, calling such claims “profoundly cynical” and accusing Washington of pursuing “neo-colonial ambitions.”
Warning of escalation
Russia warned that the incident could further destabilise already strained relations with Washington and lower the threshold for the use of force against civilian shipping.
“The Marinera incident can only lead to a further escalation of military-political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region,” the ministry said.
It also accused the United Kingdom of involvement, alleging that London had acknowledged participation in the US operation—something Russia described as part of a historical pattern of “maritime predation.”
Russia’s demands
Moscow called on the US to immediately halt what it termed unlawful actions against the tanker and other civilian vessels.
“We call on Washington to return to the established norms and principles of international maritime law,” the ministry said, demanding humane treatment of Russian citizens on board and their “swift return home.”
English (US) ·