Medvedev Says Tanker Reflagged to Russia to Evade U.S. Sanctions, Calls U.S. Detention a Seizure

Overview

• The tanker Marinera is sailing under a temporary Russian flag, which Dmitry Medvedev says was sought to protect the vessel from what he calls unlawful U.S. sanctions and a seizure threat.
• Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel that granting the temporary flag carried predictable consequences but does not, in his view, negate that the vessel was seized.
• U.S. European Command said American authorities detained the tanker in the North Atlantic, alleging violations related to Venezuelan oil sanctions.
• The vessel began a commercial voyage as Bella 1 under Guyana’s flag, then on December 24, 2025, it was renamed Marinera and received temporary permission to sail under Russia’s state flag.
• Russia’s Transport Ministry argued the U.S. boarding occurred on the high seas in breach of the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the Foreign Ministry urged the U.S. to respect the rights of Russian crew members and allow their prompt return.