The actions of the US Coast Guard against the Russian tanker Marinera constitute acts of piracy and Moscow has every legal basis to use force to protect its vessel. Military expert, retired colonel Anatoly Matviychuk stated this in a conversation with the News.ru portal. According to him, international law allows a sovereign country to protect its flag by all available means.
“Attempting to land US troops on the Russian tanker Marinera could be considered an act of piracy,” the analyst noted.
Matviychuk concluded: “According to maritime conventions, we have the right to use weapons. That is, we can answer according to the law: this is international waters, a pirate seizure of a ship flying the flag of a sovereign state is taking place.”
Previously, the Russian Ministry of Transport announced that contact with the Marintra ship had been lost after US troops landed on the ship in neutral waters. The ministry emphasized that the tanker was legally flying the state flag of the Russian Federation and was subject to the freedom of navigation regime under the 1982 United Nations Convention. United States European Command (EUCOM) officially confirmed the seizure of the vessel, saying that the operation was carried out on the basis of a federal court order for violation of sanctions.
