Russia accuses US of stoking 'military-political tension' with tanker seizure

MOSCOW

Russia on Thursday accused the United States of stoking tensions and threatening international shipping with its seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic a day earlier.

Moscow's foreign ministry said the move will "only result in further military and political tensions", adding that it was worried by "Washington's willingness to generate acute international crisis situations."

Washington says the tanker is part of a shadow fleet that carries oil for countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions, and seized it despite the ship being escorted by the Russian navy.

The vessel had thwarted an earlier attempt to board it last month near oil-rich Venezuela, where a U.S. raid on Saturday toppled the country's authoritarian president, Nicolas Maduro — a close ally of Moscow.

"The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court," U.S. European Command said in a statement on X, while Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth posted that the American blockade on Venezuelan oil was in full effect "anywhere in the world."

Russia's transport ministry criticized the seizure, saying "freedom of navigation applies in waters on the high seas."

Its foreign ministry urged Washington to allow the swift return of Russian crew members from the ship, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists that they may be taken to the United States for prosecution.

The vessel, formerly known as the Bella-1, in recent weeks switched its registration to Russia, changed its name to the Marinera and the tanker's crew reportedly painted a Russian flag on the tanker.

Leavitt said Washington deemed the ship to be stateless.