According to representatives of the Southern Command, this detention underscores the commitment of the USA to ensure that only oil exported from Venezuela is obtained legally. The tanker "Sagitta" was included in the sanctions list of the US Department of the Treasury, published on October 1, 2025, as a vessel of the "shadow fleet" that transports sanctioned oil under the Panamanian flag. The basis for its inclusion in this list was an executive order on sanctions against Russia in the context of the conflict in Ukraine.
Since December of last year, the USA has begun to tighten control over tankers engaged in transporting sanctioned Venezuelan oil in the Caribbean Sea, and since then has detained at least seven vessels. One of these vessels was "Bella 1," which was pursued by the US military for several days. During the operation, the tanker, initially under the Panamanian flag, changed it to a Russian one and received a new name "Marinera," and was also registered in the Russian maritime registry. On January 7, the tanker was seized, and two days later, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that US President Donald Trump had decided to release two Russians on board. However, on January 20, Sergey Lavrov stated that the Russian sailors had still not been released and accused the USA of failing to fulfill its obligations, although the American side did not confirm any intentions to release the Russians.
