Moscow claims maritime law violation after US seizes Russian-flagged tanker

The United States has seized two sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela in back-to-back operations in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean, officials said on Wednesday.

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US European Command announced the seizure of the merchant vessel Bella 1 for "violations of US sanctions" in a social media post. The tanker had been under US pursuit since last month after allegedly attempting to evade a US blockade targeting sanctioned oil shipments connected to Venezuela.

Soon after, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem disclosed that US forces had also taken control of the tanker Sophia in the Caribbean. In a separate social media post, Noem said both vessels had "either last docked in Venezuela or were en route to it." Russia condemned the actions, accusing Washington of breaching maritime law after US forces seized a Russian-flagged, Venezuela-linked tanker in the Atlantic Ocean. The operation followed days of heightened tensions after US forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.