'Sink Some American Boats': Russia Talks Tough After US Seizure Of Vessels Off Venezuela Coast

Last Updated:January 08, 2026, 08:32 IST

Russian lawmaker Alexei Zhuravlev warned the US could face military retaliation after it seized the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera in the North Atlantic.

The vessel tanker Bella 1 at Singapore Strait, after U.S. officials say the U.S. Coast Guard pursued an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela (Photo: Reuters)

Russian lawmaker Alexei Zhuravlev on Thursday issued an incendiary warning to the United States following the seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker by US forces in the North Atlantic, suggesting that Washington could be confronted militarily if it continues what Moscow views as unlawful actions on the high seas.

Reacting to the boarding and seizure of the tanker Marinera, formerly known as Bella 1, Zhuravlev said the United States was acting with a sense of impunity and should be “stopped" through forceful retaliation.

“To attack with torpedoes, to sink a couple of American Coast Guard boats, normally, they guard their shore several thousand kilometres away from it," Zhuravlev said.

“I think the United States, which is in a kind of euphoria of impunity after the special operation in Venezuela, can only be stopped now with such a click on the nose," he added.

News world 'Sink Some American Boats': Russia Talks Tough After US Seizure Of Vessels Off Venezuela Coast

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