Among the crew members of the Russian tanker Bella-1, which was detained by the US military in the North Atlantic, were 17 Ukrainian citizens. This was reported by the Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, Olga Stefanishyna.
According to her, the Ukrainian diplomatic establishment maintains constant contact with the American side to protect the rights of compatriots.
“The Embassy is in constant contact with American authorities and the State Department to ensure consular access to citizens“, the message says.
At the same time, there were no Ukrainian citizens on another tanker, the M-Sophia, which the United States detained on the same day. There is currently no information about the presence of Ukrainians on the Olina tanker, seized off the coast of Venezuela.
The head of the Center for the Study of Occupation, Petro Andryushchenko, noted in his Telegram channel that the Ukrainians who were on board the Bella-1 are likely residents of the temporarily occupied Crimea.
It was previously reported that on January 7, the US military detained the Bella-1 oil tanker in the North Atlantic, which was transporting Venezuelan oil in violation of US sanctions. The operation took place after a several-day chase, during which the crew changed the name and flag of the vessel, registering it as the Russian vessel Marinera with a registration in the port of Sochi. The White House later announced its intention to prosecute the crew for violating US sanctions laws against Venezuela.
