Russian officials have issued a menacing warning to the US and the UK after the former detained a Russian-flagged oil tanker believed to be associated with Venezuela on January 7.
The US seized a vessel known as The Marinera on Wednesday after it engaged with a US-sanctioned area near Venezuela.
Tensions in Venezuela have heightened as the US continues its military involvement, especially after the arrest of President Nicolàs Maduro, who is now in New York facing criminal charges.
There have been reports of attacks in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, including hits on a military airfield in the city center and the major military base at Fuerte Tiuna.
The Marinera was apprehended while navigating waters near Iceland, although it was being escorted by a Russian submarine at the time.
In response, Russia’s Transport Ministry released a statement: “In accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation applies in the high seas, and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states.”
The ministry also noted the loss of communication when the US boarded the vessel.
Russian lawmaker Alexia Zhuravlev has reportedly urged Vladimir Putin to “attack with torpedoes” and “sink a couple of American Coast Guard boats.”
Highlighting the need for a decisive response, Zhuravlev commented (via The Mirror): “In essence, it is the same as an encroachment on Russian territory, since the tanker was sailing under our national flag.
“There is no doubt that the response must be firm and swift – our military doctrine in such a case even provides for the use of nuclear weapons.”
The deputy chairman of the Russian parliament’s defense committee remarked: “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 slap on the nose.”
Lt-Gen Andrey Gurulev mentioned that there was “nothing stopping us from imposing sanctions against all ships heading to Black Sea ports,” or “even sinking them if we don’t like something.”
The deputy head of the Kremlin’s security council, Dmitry Medvedev, sent a stern warning to Donald Trump’s administration: “Don’t play games with Russia.”
As reported by The Independent, the tanker is the third to be captured by the US since its operation against Venezuela began in early September, following the seizure of two other tankers, the Centuries and The Skipper, by American forces.
The Skipper’s capture notably intensified the efforts to compel Maduro to sever access to vital oil resources.