Kathrine Frich
Hardline lawmakers are now openly calling for military retaliation against the United States and Europe.
Russia’s parliament has reacted furiously to the seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic.
The remarks underline how the incident has intensified rhetoric in Moscow, even as Western officials frame the operation as a sanctions enforcement action.
Calls for retaliation
Several State Duma deputies said Russia should respond forcefully after the US Coast Guard captured the oil tanker Marinera. According to The Moscow Times, lawmakers argued that diplomatic channels were no longer sufficient.
Alexei Zhuravlyov, deputy chairman of the Duma’s defence committee, described the seizure as an act of “pure piracy” and an attack on Russian territory, he told the outlet Pod’em.
“Let’s attack with torpedoes, let’s sink a few American coast guard ships, they are perfectly capable of defending their shores thousands of kilometers away, but I think the only way to stop the US, which is experiencing a kind of euphoria of impunity after the special operation in Venezuela, is such a slap in the face,” Zhuravlev said.
Escalation rhetoric
Another MP, Andrei Guruliov, went further, portraying the tanker operation as part of Western preparations for a broader conflict. He argued that Russia should strike first by targeting what he called enemy supply chains.
According to Guruliov, this could include missile attacks using Oreshnik systems, which Russian officials have previously described as capable of reaching targets across Europe.
“What prevents us from striking, for example, Rheinmetall, which produces ammunition for Ukraine? Nothing prevents us,” Guruliov told Readovka, as quoted by the source.
Tanker seizure
The Marinera had departed from Venezuela and changed its flag at sea before being detained.
The US Coast Guard, supported by British and Icelandic naval forces, intercepted the vessel despite Moscow’s diplomatic requests to halt the pursuit.
The tanker was en route to Murmansk when it was seized for allegedly violating US sanctions.
The action was carried out under a warrant issued by a US federal court, according to US European Command.
Reuters reported that Russia dispatched a submarine and warships to escort the tanker but failed to prevent its capture.
The vessel had reportedly sailed under a false flag and was registered in Guyana.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt said the crew, which includes Russian citizens, would be held accountable under US law.
Sources: The Moscow Times, Reuters, Digi24.
