Russia Deploys Submarine to Guard Sanctioned Oil Tanker from US Near Venezuela

• Russia deployed a submarine and naval vessels to escort the oil tanker Marinera (formerly Bella 1) in the North Atlantic, escalating tensions with the US.
• The US Coast Guard has been pursuing the empty tanker for weeks near Venezuela, viewing it as part of a "shadow fleet" for black-market oil.
• The tanker's crew resisted US boarding attempts, painted a Russian flag, renamed it Marinera, and re-registered it to Russia.
• Russia formally requested the US to cease pursuit, while the US Southern Command affirmed its stance against sanctioned vessels.
• The standoff continues in the eastern Atlantic, with the tanker heading towards the North Sea, further complicating US-Russia relations amid Ukraine tensions.

Why It Matters: Russia's naval deployment to protect a sanctioned oil tanker intensifies US-Russia geopolitical tensions.