Vladimir Putin’s naval forces “fled” when confronted by the U.S. military during the dramatic seizure of a shadow fleet tanker off Britain’s coast, U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed.
The tanker, the Venezuela-linked Marinera, was intercepted in the North Atlantic after a two-week maritime pursuit involving U.S. and U.K. forces. The crew, including Russian nationals, has since been released, according to Moscow.
Trump, speaking publicly about the operation for the first time, described a tense encounter in which Russian assets initially appeared ready to shield the ship. “The Russian ships, it was a submarine and a destroyer, they both left very quickly when we arrived,” Trump said, adding: “And we took over the ship and the oil is being unloaded right now.”
U.S. intelligence sources said a Russian submarine and warship were detected near the tanker during the raid but abruptly moved away when confronted by U.S. forces. The Marinera, formerly known as Bella 1, is suspected by Washington of transporting sanction-busting Venezuelan oil as part of a covert Russian fleet designed to evade global tracking and enforcement.
The operation has intensified geopolitical friction between Washington and Moscow. Ukrainian analysts have suggested the seizure may have triggered Russia’s launch of an Oreshnik nuclear-capable missile system in Ukraine the same night, which struck a major gas facility in Lviv near the Polish border.
Russian authorities confirmed that Trump had ordered the release of Russian crew members after the seizure. “In response to our appeal, U.S. President D. Trump decided to release two Russian citizens from the crew,” the Kremlin said.
Russian lawmakers reacted angrily to the capture, accusing the U.S. of being emboldened after the dramatic detention of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Aleksey Zhuravlyov, a senior defence committee member, condemned the operation as an act of aggression.
British forces played a key role in the mission, which was carried out jointly by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.K. Ministry of Defence. Defence Secretary John Healey praised the “skill and professionalism” of British personnel involved.
The Marinera had previously attempted to defy U.S. sanctions, changing its name, route and flag, including painting a Russian flag on its hull, in an apparent bid for Kremlin protection. Sixteen other tankers linked to Venezuelan oil exports have reportedly fled using similar deceptive tactics such as false identities and switching transponders off to travel in “dark mode.”
Trump has signalled that U.S. maritime enforcement operations will continue, saying the administration intends to keep seizing illicit vessels “until the waters are safe.”