The Russian government has pressed the United States to facilitate the immediate repatriation of Russian nationals crewed on a tanker captured by U.S. authorities in the North Atlantic. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, “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.” Details on the exact number of Russians onboard the Russian flagged ship, tracked from Venezuela’s waters, were not provided.
American officials label the vessel part of a “shadow fleet” illicitly shipping oil for Venezuela, Russia, and Iran in defiance of U.S. sanctions. It had repelled a prior U.S. boarding effort near Venezuela last month. U.S. European Command confirmed on X: “The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court.” Pentagon leader Pete Hegseth followed up online, affirming the global enforcement of the U.S. Venezuelan oil blockade. The military then reported capturing another sanctioned tanker in the Caribbean Sea. These actions aligned with U.S. special forces detaining Maduro and his spouse in Caracas that weekend, transporting them to New York for drug-related prosecution. Trump stated afterward that America would “run” Venezuela, handing its key oil industry to U.S. firms. Despite Russia’s submarine escort for the empty tanker stressing its Russian flag and remoteness from U.S. territory, the Foreign Ministry had earlier decried excessive U.S. and NATO scrutiny as mismatched to its benign profile and motivations.