Russia has accused the United States of “unlawful actions” after US forces seized the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera in international waters, warning that the move violates international maritime law and risks further escalating already strained relations between Moscow and Washington.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Russia’s foreign ministry said the seizure, carried out on January 7, amounted to a serious breach of established norms governing freedom of navigation. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on Washington to respect international maritime law and to immediately cease actions against the Marinera and other civilian vessels operating on the high seas.
“Alongside the US administration’s disregard for accepted norms of international maritime navigation, Washington’s readiness to provoke acute international crises — including in Russian-American relations, which are already severely strained — is both regrettable and alarming,” the statement said.
The ministry warned that the incident could further escalate military and political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region and dangerously 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 and a dangerous lowering of the threshold for using force against civilian vessels. Encouraged by Washington’s irresponsible example, other actors may feel emboldened to take similar actions,” it added.
Russia also accused the United Kingdom of involvement, claiming British authorities had acknowledged their role in the US-led military operation in North Atlantic waters.
According to Moscow, the vessel — formerly known as Bella 1 — was temporarily authorised to sail under the Russian flag on December 24, in full compliance with Russian and international law. The tanker was described as a civilian ship peacefully transiting international waters en route to a Russian port.
The foreign ministry said US authorities had been repeatedly informed of the tanker’s legal status and civilian nature. “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.
Citing international maritime law, Russia argued that only the flag state has jurisdiction over its vessels on the high seas. “Stopping and inspecting a vessel in international waters is permitted only under narrowly defined circumstances, such as suspected piracy or slave trading — neither of which apply to the Marinera,” the ministry said, adding that such actions otherwise require the explicit consent of the flag state.
It noted that Russia had refused to grant such consent and had formally protested to US authorities in recent weeks over what it described as continued pursuit of the vessel by a US Coast Guard ship.
“Under these circumstances, the boarding and de facto seizure of a civilian vessel on the high seas by US military personnel, along with the detention of its crew, can only be viewed as a gross violation of fundamental principles and norms of international maritime law and the freedom of navigation,” the statement said.
Russia also raised concerns about the safety of the multinational crew and warned of environmental risks associated with conducting the seizure in severe weather conditions.
Rejecting US references to domestic sanctions laws, Moscow said unilateral sanctions imposed by Washington and its allies have no legal basis under international law and cannot justify the seizure of vessels in international waters. It also dismissed suggestions by some US officials that the seizure was part of a broader strategy involving Venezuela’s natural resources, calling such claims “profoundly cynical” and accusing Washington of “neo-colonial ambitions”.
In a post on X, the foreign ministry called on the US to “immediately cease its unlawful actions against the Marinera and other vessels engaged in lawful activities on the high seas” and demanded proper treatment of Russian citizens on board.
Transport ministry also condemns seizure
Russia’s transport ministry separately condemned the operation, saying the US had no legal right to use force against a vessel lawfully registered under another country’s jurisdiction.
In a statement posted on Telegram on Wednesday, the ministry said the Marinera was boarded by US naval forces in international waters, after which contact with the ship was lost.
“Under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation applies on the high seas, and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered under the jurisdiction of other states,” the statement said.
How the tanker was seized
The seizure followed a weeks-long pursuit by the US Coast Guard. The tanker, then operating as Bella 1, was sanctioned by the US in 2024 for allegedly being part of a so-called “shadow fleet” transporting illicit oil linked to Iran and Venezuela.
US authorities had attempted to seize the vessel last month while it was sailing under the Guyana flag toward Venezuela. The crew reportedly refused boarding and changed course into the Atlantic. The ship was later renamed Marinera and re-registered under the Russian flag.
According to US officials, military assets were repositioned to the UK ahead of the operation. The tanker was ultimately seized about 190 miles south of Iceland in the North Atlantic.
US European Command said the operation was conducted under a federal court warrant related to violations of US sanctions laws, with support from multiple US agencies. UK defence officials confirmed they assisted the US following a request for support.
