"White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked if the US seizing a particular oil tanker 'risked a larger conflict with Russia ' during her briefing in DC on Wednesday. One reporter claimed: "The US seized a tanker, recently Russia specifically asked the United States not to seize that tanker, does this action risk a larger conflict with Russia?" "I believe you're referring to the Bella 1 tanker that was seized this morning the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security in co-ordination with the Department of War did announce that seizure this morning for violations of US sanctions." She also referred to it as a 'stateless vessel'. The Russian Transport Ministry confirmed that an oil tanker, the 'Marinera', had been taken in the North Atlantic. "In accordance with the provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation applies in the open sea, and no state has the right to use force against ships that are duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states," the ministry stated. It explained that on December 24, 2025, Marinera had received temporary permission to sail under the Russian national flag, 'issued on the basis of Russian legislation and international law'. "Today, the US naval forces boarded the vessel in international waters outside the territorial waters of any state, and contact with the ship was lost," the ministry added. Earlier on Wednesday, the US European Command (US EUCOM) via X the seizure of the 'M/V Bella 1' for 'violations of US sanctions'. "The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro," the US EUCOM added. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the seizure of the tanker was linked to the 'blockade' of Venezuelan oil shipments, while the UK admitted it had assisted in the seizure. US Southern Command also said it had seized a second ship, 'M/T Sophia', describing that one as 'a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker' taken in a 'pre-dawn action' in the Caribbean.  On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry, during an interview with local media, said that Moscow was "monitoring with concern the abnormal situation" over the Marinera, adding that the vessel was "receiving increased and clearly disproportionate attention from the US military and NATO". It also stated that 'Marinera' had "been followed by a US Coast Guard vessel", adding that the tanker was "about 4,000 km away from the American coast". Following the seizure of the Marinera, the ministry called on the US to ensure that Russian crew members are "treated humanely and with dignity, that their rights and interests are strictly observed, and that their prompt return to their homeland is not impeded". "