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Russian Official Threatens Military Retaliation, Including Nuclear Response, After US Seizes Oil Tankers
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After US forces seized Russian-flagged oil tankers in international waters, a senior Russian lawmaker threatened military retaliation—including a possible nuclear response—signaling escalation in tensions between Moscow and Washington over sanctions enforcement at sea.
In response to the United States seizing Russian oil tankers, a senior Russian official has suggested a military retaliation, going as far as threatening a nuclear strike against US and suggesting that the US is now in a state of “euphoria of impunity” following Venezuelan leader' Maduro’s arrest, Russian media reported on January 7.
“We need to provide a military response: attack with torpedoes or sink a couple of American boats,” said Aleksey Zhuravlyov, the first deputy head of the Russian State Duma’s defense committee.
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“This is nothing more than piracy: the seizure of a civilian vessel by the armed US Navy. It is essentially the same as an attack on Russian territory, since the tanker was flying our national flag,” he stated.
“There is no doubt that we must respond firmly and swiftly—our military doctrine even envisages the use of nuclear weapons in response to such an attack. Especially since, according to available information, a Russian submarine and some other Russian military ships were located somewhere near the vessel,” Zhuravlyov said.
Previously, it was reported that US forces seized the Russian-operated oil tanker M/T Sophia in the Caribbean Sea, marking the second interdiction of a sanctioned vessel within hours.
The ship was operating under US sanctions and had no national flag. It was intercepted in international waters and is currently being escorted to the United States by the US Coast Guard.
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