On Friday, Russia announced that President Trump has agreed to release two Russian sailors who were onboard an oil tanker flying the Russian flag detained by the US military earlier this week in the North Atlantic. The two crew members were working on the vessel.
The spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, stated on social media platform X on Friday, “Following our appeal, US President Donald Trump has decided to release two Russian citizens from the crew of the oil tanker “Marinera”.
“We welcome this decision and express our gratitude to the US leadership,” she added.
Russian President Putin’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, also announced on the messaging app Telegram that Trump has decided to release “all Russians” aboard the “Marinera.”
During the pursuit by the US military, the “Bella 1” was renamed “Marinera.” The Bella 1 was a sanctioned vessel part of the global ‘shadow fleet’, initially refusing inspection by the US Coast Guard and only later hoisting the Russian flag for navigation on December 24. However, this did not deter the US military from taking action, ultimately seizing the vessel in international waters between Scotland and Iceland on Wednesday.
According to reports from The Wall Street Journal citing a US official, a Russian submarine accompanied the vessel at the time of its seizure. The British military also participated in the US operation.
The US stated that the tanker was a member of the ‘shadow fleet’, violating US sanctions by transporting oil for countries such as Venezuela, Russia, and Iran. As a result, the US military detained the vessel in the North Atlantic.
During a White House press briefing on Wednesday, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt mentioned that crew members of the Bella 1 may face prosecution in the US.
It is currently unclear how many crew members were onboard, their nationalities, and if they will be released.
In this crackdown on the ‘Ghost Fleet’, the US has now detained five oil tankers in an effort to combat vessels assisting countries like Venezuela in evading sanctions.