Kremlin Criticizes US Oil Tanker Seizure, Says Ship Had Permission to Use Russian Flag

‘In the open sea beyond the territorial waters of any state, U.S. naval forces boarded the vessel. Communication with the ship was subsequently lost,’ it said.

FILE PHOTO: The vessel tanker Bella 1 at Singapore Strait, after U.S. officials say the U.S. Coast Guard pursued an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela, in this picture taken from social media on March 18, 2025. Hakon Rimmereid/via REUTERS/File Photo

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday criticized the United States’ operation to seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean a day earlier, saying that the ship was given temporary permission to use the flag.

The U.S. European Command wrote that it seized the tanker, the M/V Bella 1, and said it was suspected of carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela. Other U.S. officials indicated that crew members on the ship did not yield to Coast Guard commands and that criminal charges may be pursued.