White House to prosecute Marinera crew as Moscow denounces seizure as de facto piracy

The US military seized the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera in the North Atlantic yesterday, acting on the authority of a federal court warrant. US European Command cited the violation of American sanctions as the justification for the operation.

Following the seizure, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt held a briefing in which she emphasized that the US intends to prosecute the vessel’s crew.

According to the White House, the Marinera had become part of Venezuela’s “shadow fleet.” Leavitt stated that the tanker was illegally transporting Venezuelan oil in defiance of US sanctions. It was further announced that all revenue generated from the shipment of the Venezuelan oil would be transferred to accounts under US control.

The White House spokesperson explained that these funds will be held in internationally recognized banks to ensure the “legality and integrity” of the revenue distribution.

Leavitt noted that the US administration would selectively lift previously imposed sanctions on Venezuela to facilitate the sale of the country’s oil.

The spokesperson further stated that the provisional administration currently operating in Venezuela, following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, has agreed to hand over oil covered by US sanctions to Washington. Leavitt noted that the energy resources would arrive in the US shortly.

Additionally, the spokesperson claimed that the Sophia—another tanker seized after the Marinera—does not belong to any specific country. Leavitt also asserted that the Marinera was not the property of any state, alleging that the vessel was sailing under a “false flag.”

Moskova’dan sert tepki: Fiili korsanlık

In an interview with the Russian business newspaper Vedomosti, Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics (HSE), characterized the seizure of the Russian tanker in neutral waters—reportedly carried out with British support—as an “act of de facto piracy.”

Suslov stated that this was the result of the extraterritorial application of US laws and confirmed that Russia has protested the situation.

Suslov described the events as a “very serious escalatory move” orchestrated by Washington. According to Suslov, the situation is directly related to the Ukraine issue and will negatively impact the future trajectory of Russia-US relations.

Nikolay Silayev, a Senior Researcher at the Institute of International Studies at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), suggested that Moscow could find a response to the seizure by US forces that is independent of the diplomacy surrounding Ukraine.

Silayev argued that despite various “forward and backward” tactical maneuvers, the US is maintaining its broader strategic line. He summarized this strategy as “avoiding direct conflict with Russia in Ukraine, keeping American involvement calibrated, and avoiding further spending on Ukraine.”

Bakanlıklardan açıklama

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it is monitoring the situation following the tanker’s seizure and demanded that the Russians on board be treated with dignity. The Ministry called on the US to strictly respect the rights and interests of the crew and to allow the Russian citizens to return to their home country as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Transport invoked the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Ministry emphasized that the convention establishes a regime for the freedom of navigation on the high seas and underscored that no country has the right to use force against vessels properly registered under the jurisdiction of another state.