'Outright piracy': Moscow says no state has the right to use force after US seizes Russian-flagged tanker

Russia on Wednesday accused the United States of violating international maritime law after Washington seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic, with a senior Russian lawmaker describing the move as “outright piracy.”

Russia’s Transport Ministry said contact had been lost with the vessel, Marinera, after US naval forces boarded it near Iceland as part of efforts to block Venezuelan oil exports.

“In accordance with the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation applies in the high seas, and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states,” Reuters quoted the ministry as saying in a statement, citing state news agency TASS.

Russia is demanding that the United States ensure “humane and decent treatment” of the Russian crew and their swift return home.

“Given incoming information about the presence of Russian citizens among the crew, we demand that the United States ensure humane and dignified treatment, strictly respect their rights and interests, and not impede their speedy return to their homeland,” the ministry was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency TASS.

It did not say how many Russian nationals were on board the Russian-flagged tanker, which Washington’s forces had pursued from the coast of Venezuela.

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The Marinera, previously known as the Bella-1, had earlier slipped through a US maritime blockade targeting sanctioned tankers in the Caribbean.

The blockade forms part of a broader US pressure campaign against Venezuela, which culminated earlier this month when President Donald Trump ordered US special forces to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and bring him to New York to face drug trafficking charges, which Maduro has denied.

“After a ‘law enforcement operation’ that killed several dozen people in Venezuela, the US has engaged in outright piracy on the high seas,” Reuters quoted Andrei Klishas, a lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party, as writing on Telegram.

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Two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the operation was carried out by the US Coast Guard and the military. They said Russian military vessels, including a submarine, were in the general vicinity, though there were no indications of any confrontation between US and Russian forces.

Relations between Moscow and Washington deteriorated sharply after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, reaching their worst level since the Cold War. Ties have become somewhat more cordial since Trump began his second term last year and opened talks with President Vladimir Putin to seek an end to the conflict.

Military incidents between the two nuclear-armed powers remain rare. In March 2023, a US surveillance drone crashed into the Black Sea after being intercepted by Russian fighter jets, prompting Washington to warn of escalation risks.

Maduro was the second close Russian ally to be ousted in just over a year, following the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Russia has said it backs Delcy Rodríguez, sworn in on Monday as Venezuela’s interim president, and will continue to support Caracas against what it has called “blatant neocolonial threats and foreign armed aggression.”

President Vladimir Putin has yet to comment publicly on the US seizure of the tanker, with Russia still observing an extended New Year holiday period.

With inputs from agencies