U.S. Targets Russia’s Shadow Fleet and Humiliates Moscow at Sea
Unmasking Russia! U.S. Targets Russia’s Shadow Fleet and Humiliates Moscow at Sea Olga Lautman Jan 12 A crude oil tanker named the Bella 1 and later the Marinera was seized by U.S. forces on Wednesday. The tanker is seen here in a photo taken aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro. U.S. European Command Last week marked an unexpected shift in U.S. enforcement against Russia’s shadow fleet, when American forces boarded and seized several vessels, including the tanker Olina , formerly Minerva M , after it departed Venezuela under a false East Timor flag, marking the fifth interdiction in a matter of days. The move raised an obvious question: why Trump, long known for his loyalty toward Moscow, suddenly authorized direct action against Russian-linked ships. That shift had already become deeply embarrassing for Moscow days earlier, when U.S. forces seized the oil tanker Bella 1 , renamed Marinera by Russia, roughly 190 miles south of Iceland in the Nor...