"Over the past two weeks, Russian authorities tried hard to protect an oil tanker that the Americans wanted to seize. On Christmas Eve, Moscow permitted the ship to fly the Russian tricolor, a symbolic warning for U.S. forces to keep their distance. The Russian foreign ministry then issued a demand for the Americans to leave the ship alone, and the Russian navy provided an escort, which reportedly included a submarine. None of it did any good."
"Yesterday, as President Vladimir Putin celebrated Orthodox Christmas on a military base near Moscow, U.S. troops descended from helicopters onto the deck of the tanker, dealing the Kremlin a humiliation such as it has seldom faced on the high seas. Some Russian commentators called the raid an act of war, though the official response from Moscow sounded a lot more cautious:"
Russian authorities implemented diplomatic and military measures to protect the oil tanker Marinera, including flying the Russian tricolor, issuing demands to U.S. forces, and providing a naval escort reportedly including a submarine. U.S. troops boarded the tanker from helicopters on Orthodox Christmas, seizing the vessel and inflicting a rare maritime humiliation on Moscow. Some commentators characterized the raid as an act of war, while the foreign ministry urged respect for the rights and swift return of Russian citizens on board. The incident evokes Cold War-era tensions, underscores a wide power differential between Washington and Moscow, and complicates great-power dynamics.
Read at The Atlantic
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