"Still at sea". What is happening to Ukrainian sailors from the Russian-flagged ship arrested by the US

Ukrainian citizens from the "shadow" tanker Bella 1 (Marinera), arrested by the Americans on January 7, sailing from Venezuela under the flag of the Russian Federation, are still at sea. This was stated in response to a request from LIGA.net by the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States.

"As of today [January 13], the situation with the sailors is as follows. There are 17 Ukrainian citizens among the crew of the Bella 1. This information was confirmed by the US State Department. The vessel is still at sea," the diplomatic mission said.

The embassy noted that it was in "constant contact" with all involved US federal agencies, as well as with relevant ministries and authorities in Ukraine, to monitor the situation and ensure proper information sharing in this case.

The diplomats noted that the embassy had sent an official note to the US side with a request to inform about the legal and procedural status of these Ukrainian sailors, as well as to ensure immediate consular access to these citizens after the tanker arrived at the US port.

It is expected that any procedural actions against the crew members will be carried out after the vessel is escorted to the United States.

"The Ukrainian side is working to use all available international legal mechanisms to protect the rights and interests of Ukrainian citizens," the diplomatic mission added.

After the Bella 1 was detained on January 7, US presidential Administration spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said that the crew members of the tanker were also subject to prosecution.

Two days later, Kremlin diplomacy spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed that the US president Donald Trump allegedly decided to release two Russian citizens from the vessel.

• Ukraine's ambassador to the United States Stefanishyna noted that the port and date of arrival for this vessel have not yet been determined due to difficult weather conditions.