Moscow

A senior Russian lawmaker has issued a strong warning to the United States following the seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic Ocean, describing the action as “outright piracy” and calling for a military response.

Alexei Zhuravlev, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defence, said the January 7 interdiction of the tanker Marinera—formerly known as Bella 1—by US forces amounted to an attack on Russian territory, as the vessel was sailing under the Russian flag.

In a statement posted on Telegram, Zhuravlev advocated a forceful response, including attacks on US vessels involved in the operation. He also referenced Russia’s military doctrine, claiming it permits the use of nuclear weapons in response to threats to national interests.

“This is the most common form of piracy—the seizure of a civilian vessel by an armed American fleet. It is essentially the same as an attack on Russian territory,” Zhuravlev said, adding that the response should be “harsh and swift.”

He further alleged that Russian naval assets, including a submarine, were operating near the tanker at the time of the seizure, and argued that military retaliation was the only way to deter what he described as US “impunity.”

The remarks mark a sharp escalation in rhetoric between the two nuclear-armed nations.

On Wednesday, US military forces seized the Russian-flagged tanker in the North Atlantic after weeks of tracking by the US Coast Guard, following allegations that the vessel violated US sanctions and evaded a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers near Venezuela.

Russia strongly condemned the seizure. In a statement on Telegram, the Russian Ministry of Transport said the tanker had received a temporary permit to sail under the Russian flag on December 24, 2025, in accordance with Russian and international law.

The ministry said the vessel was boarded by US naval forces on the high seas, outside the territorial waters of any state, after which contact with the tanker was lost.

Citing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the ministry asserted that freedom of navigation applies in international waters and that no state has the right to use force against vessels lawfully registered under another country’s jurisdiction.

According to a post on X by US European Command, the tanker was seized under a warrant issued by a US federal court after being tracked by the US Coast Guard cutter Munro. The vessel, sanctioned in 2024, was later renamed Marinera.

READ MORE: Nawabzada Mohammad Asif Ali shows the humble side of royalty

The incident has reportedly led to a maritime standoff, with Russia deploying naval assets to escort the tanker, according to a Wall Street Journal report.