A vessel seized by the US near Venezuela was re-registered in late December 2025 under a Russian company whose owner is affiliated with efforts to evade sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Despite the ship sailing under a Russian flag and heading toward a Russian port, Moscow now appears to be distancing itself from it and rejecting allegations of sanctions evasion, the think tank says.
Tanker registered under Russian company with sanctions history links
The US Coast Guard seized the oil tanker Bella‑1 on 7 January after it changed its flag to Russian mid-pursuit. According to the ISW, the vessel’s registered owner is affiliated with Russian efforts to bypass US sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector. The ship had re-registered as the Marinera under the ownership of Russian company Burevestmarine in late December 2025.
Ilya Bugai, a Russian businessman, owns and directs Burevestmarine. He registered the company in July 2025. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on 8 January that Bugai is also CEO of Rusneftekhimtorg, a company owned by Viktor Baransky. Baransky, a pro-Russian former member of the Odesa City Council, was stripped of Ukrainian citizenship in 2024. He is connected to Fides Ship Management LLC and Rustanker LLC, both of which the United States sanctioned in 2021 for violating sanctions on Venezuelan oil.
Russian publication Verstka reported in December 2024 that parts of Baransky’s Palmira Group were involved in sanctions evasion operations involving Venezuelan and Russian oil and Iranian goods.
Russia rejects US claims and "appears to be attempting to distance itself from the Bella-1 oil tanker"
On 8 January, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a response to the US seizure of Bella‑1. It rejected Washington’s claims that the vessel had been flying a false flag to avoid sanctions. The MFA condemned US and Western sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector and called them illegitimate.
The ministry confirmed that Russia had granted the vessel “temporary permission” to fly a Russian flag in late December 2025. However, it refrained from describing Bella‑1 as a Russian ship and only briefly acknowledged that it was en route to an unspecified Russian port when it was seized.
Russian flags adopted by other sanctioned tankers
Citing official Russian vessel registry data, the New York Times reported on 6 and 8 January that five oil tankers operating recently in Venezuelan waters—each under US sanctions for transporting Russian or Iranian oil—had switched to Russian flags. These ships also changed their declared home ports to Russian cities such as Sochi or Taganrog.
