Breaking: Russia Vows Military Response Following US Tanker Interdiction

 

​The United States has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker, the Marinera, in the North Atlantic following a dramatic two-week pursuit. The vessel, which was empty but linked to a "shadow fleet" carrying sanctioned Venezuelan oil, had previously evaded U.S. blockades in the Caribbean.

​In response, Russian officials have condemned the move as an act of international piracy. Aleksey Zhuravlyov, a senior member of the Russian State Duma’s defense committee, warned that Russia must provide a military response, stating that their doctrine even allows for the use of nuclear weapons in defense of such "attacks on Russian territory." The incident is particularly tense as Russian submarines and warships were reportedly in the vicinity during the U.S. boarding operation.

Howbeit the Operation was said to be successful by joint forces; USNI News reports that "the U.K. Ministry of Defense on Wednesday said it helped the U.S. with planning and basing ahead of Bella I‘s seizure. The Royal Air Force also aided the U.S. with surveillance and fleet oiler RFA Tideforce (A139) helped the U.S. with the seizure,"