Washington has quietly released two Russian sailors detained earlier this month by the US Navy’s enforcement arm of Venezuela sanctions, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Wednesday. “Two Russian sailors have been released and are on their way home to Russia,” she announced.
The men were part of the crew aboard the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera (formerly Bella 1), which was intercepted and seized on January 7 in the North Atlantic after being tailed by US authorities from the Caribbean.
US officials claim the vessel – chartered by a private company – was skirting Washington’s oil embargo on Venezuela. “We welcome this decision and express our gratitude to the US leadership,” Zakharova had also said.
The tanker’s multinational crew totaled 28, including 17 Ukrainians, six Georgians, three Indians, and just two Russians – the latter now released – underscoring once again how US sanctions enforcement routinely sweeps up foreign nationals far removed from Washington’s geopolitical score-settling.
American officials had earlier threatened that the Marinera’s crew could face prosecution in the United States, which Russia warned would be “categorically unacceptable.”
Russia’s foreign ministry threatened serious escalation at a moment both sides are seeking to improve delicate bilateral relations, saying such a move will “only result in further military and political tensions,” adding that it was worried by “Washington’s willingness to generate acute international crisis situations.”
But days ago the Kremlin previewed that the US was preparing to release the Russian nationals “in response to our request” – while the fate of the other detained crewmembers remains unknown, and their respective embassies are likely lobbying for their swift release.
But a real and potentially explosive crisis has thankfully been avoided here, and the Kremlin disclosed that it directly appealed to the Trump administration to quickly release the Russian crewmembers.
The explosive situation could have easily spiraled, given also the rare presence of a Russian submarine so near in proximity to US maritime forces.
As for US policy in post-Maduro Venezuela, the US is making slow moves to reopen the embassy in Caracas, amid ongoing talks with interim leader Delcy Rodríguez (or should we say ‘directives’ given to…).
On Tuesday, Reuters reported that the US is preparing to issue a general license – a move that would enable a sweeping rollback of sanctions, replacing the piecemeal waiver system used until now.
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