Russia Welcomes Release of Sailors After U.S. Tanker Seizure Tied to Venezuela Sanctions

Seizure of the M/V Bella 1 by US Naval Forces
U.S. European Command’s official X account

Russia said two crew members of a Russian-flagged oil tanker seized by the United States earlier this month have been released and are on their way home, marking a partial resolution in a dispute that has heightened tensions over sanctions enforcement and maritime law.

“Two Russian sailors have been released and are on their way home to Russia,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, according to state media.

The fate of the remaining crew members of the tanker Marinera remains unclear, as The Moscow Times explains.

U.S. forces boarded and seized the vessel on January 7 in the North Atlantic, alleging it was part of a “shadow fleet” used to transport oil from sanctioned countries including Venezuela, Russia and Iran. Washington sanctioned the ship, formerly known as Bella 1, in 2024 and said the operation was conducted under a federal court warrant after weeks of monitoring by the U.S. Coast Guard, with logistical support from the United Kingdom.

Moscow initially condemned the seizure as “maritime piracy” and accused Washington of violating international maritime law. Russia’s Transport Ministry said the vessel was sailing in international waters under the Russian flag and demanded the crew’s “humane and decent treatment” and prompt return.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later said the United States had given assurances “at the highest level” that the detained sailors would be released, though he complained days later that those commitments had not been implemented.

U.S. officials had previously said the crew could face prosecution in the United States, a prospect Russia described as “categorically unacceptable.” Moscow argued that the seizure threatened freedom of navigation under the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The interception drew international reactions as well, including from China which criticized what it called the “arbitrary” seizure of a foreign vessel on the high seas, warning that unilateral sanctions undermine international law and the global legal order. British authorities said their support for the operation complied with international law and was aimed at disrupting sanctions evasion.

The incident occurred amid a broader U.S. campaign to curb Venezuelan oil exports following the January 3 capture of Nicolás Maduro, with Washington stepping up interdictions of vessels linked to the trade.