MOSCOW, February 2. /TASS/. The Ukrainian sailors from the US-seized Marinera tanker are afraid to return home to Ukraine for fear of criminal prosecution, according to Obshchestvennoye. Novosti, which spoke with the sailors.
They are afraid they will be charged with treason at home.
"The crew consisted of 28 people in total. 17 of them are citizens of Ukraine. Most of the Ukrainians hail from the Odessa Region, some from the Kherson Region, and there is a sailor from Kiev. Now all Ukrainians, except for the senior assistant, have been released. None of those with whom we have spoken has any plans to return to Ukraine. The men say they are afraid of persecution and charges of treason," a video posted on the publication's website says.
The Russian Transport Ministry said that on January 7, at about 12:00 p.m. GMT, US military personnel boarded the Marinera ship in the open sea. The ministry said that in accordance with the norms of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, in international waters, no state has the right to use force against ships duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states. On December 24, the Marinera vessel received a temporary permit to sail under the Russian national flag, issued on the basis of Russian legislation and international law.
On January 7, White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the American administration could bring the crew to the United States for legal proceedings for possible violations of federal law. The White House claims that the Marinera is part of Venezuela's so-called shadow fleet and was illegally transporting oil in violation of US sanctions.