this post was submitted on 07 Jan 2026
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[–] came_apart_at_Kmart@hexbear.net 36 points 1 month ago (1 children)

little known fact: the US Coast Guard is the guardian of all the coasts and the open oceans.

[–] Beaver@hexbear.net 33 points 1 month ago (3 children)

The United Kingdom issued a statement saying it supported the U.S. seizure of the Russian-flagged tanker.

pathetic

[–] jackmaoist@hexbear.net 33 points 1 month ago

Like obedient little vassals

[–] Cysioland@lemmygrad.ml 23 points 1 month ago

don't care, didn't ask, plus you're white

[–] Torenico@hexbear.net 21 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Listen to us! We're the Empire! The old Lion still has it's mighty roar!

Oh yes USA, I will give you a good thorough suck.

[–] sodium_nitride@hexbear.net 30 points 1 month ago (2 children)

"U.S. naval forces boarded the vessel in international waters outside the territorial waters of any state, and contact with the vessel was lost," the statement read. The ministry added, "No state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked at a press briefing on Wednesday if the tanker seizure risked a larger conflict with Russia. She said the tanker was a "Venezuelan shadow fleet vessel" and "deemed stateless."

"This was a Venezuelan shadow fleet vessel that has transported sanctioned oil. The vessel was deemed stateless after flying a false flag and it had a judicial seizure order. And that's why the crew will be subject to prosecution," she told reporters.

So by this logic, the US gov can just declare any oil tanker as stateless, even if another state says it belongs to them. What is Russia even going to do as retaliation here? Seize US oil tankers? It seems like the only logical way to stop US piracy.

[–] CyborgMarx@hexbear.net 26 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

What is Russia even going to do as retaliation here?

They could finally win the war in Ukraine, that would be a good start

[–] jack@hexbear.net 7 points 1 month ago

every day I am more of a z poster

[–] Sammmy@hexbear.net 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I think The Russia Federation underestimated much much life and money NATO was willing to waste dragging out the war in Ukraine. US figures did openly state the war is about weakening Russia, and the USA barely cares about its own people, let alone anyone in Eurasia. Maybe Russia also underestimated how weak, corrupt and sycophantic Europe leaders had become? Willing to kneecap their own economies for the US oligarchs and back a US/NATO provoked proxy war on Russia's border for US hegemony.

[–] MarmiteLover123@hexbear.net 15 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

The argument here under the "rule based order/international law" (lol) would be that you can't just change to a Russian flag mid voyage after evading seizure, so that the "stateless" classification still applies, as it did during the initial seizure attempt.

[–] SevenSkalls@hexbear.net 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I still don't understand why the US thinks it gets to decide when and where and what other countries trade with each other.

[–] jack@hexbear.net 8 points 1 month ago

cmon man, yes you do

[–] Infamousblt@hexbear.net 29 points 1 month ago

"International" "Law" at work yet again

[–] Grapho@lemmy.ml 28 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Surely at some point there's gonna be retaliation? I get all that might makes right shit but surely they're not gonna let the US just take everything at anytime completely unopposed just because they keep the finger on the red button

[–] Damarcusart@hexbear.net 14 points 1 month ago

The US has probably done a risk assessment that shows that they can steal the occasional tanker or container ship and other countries won't go to war over something like that, so the US will try and disrupt international trade as much as possible without causing other countries to escalate. I expect we'll see more stuff like this in the future, probably in SEAsia to disrupt China's shipping next.

[–] SevenSkalls@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago

It feels like right before WW2. When the world was in the appeasement phase.

[–] dead@hexbear.net 26 points 1 month ago

The latest reporting says that the UK aided the US in the act of pirating the tankers.

[–] kristina@hexbear.net 20 points 1 month ago (1 children)

hexbear loves piracy until the usa does it smuglord

[–] PoY@lemmygrad.ml 3 points 1 month ago

damn, you're good

[–] ElChapoDeChapo@hexbear.net 19 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I would love to see the exact mental gymnastics libs are going through in their heads to justifying still believing in Russiagate

"No no no, Putin is playing 4D chess but I can see the cheeto is really his pawn" maybe-later-honey

[–] jack@hexbear.net 4 points 1 month ago

they're doing spheres of influence posting now

Whoever controls the oceans of this world, controls the land/islands 🎵. Container-ships/Bulk-freighters beat Rail when it comes to fuel efficiency.

Defending freedom of navigation in the South-China sea

[–] Sammmy@hexbear.net 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

US and vassal state fascists think they're untouchable (despite crippling themselves with sanctions and getting their game in Ukraine upended). They live in a supremacist and chauvinist bubble where they think they can do no wrong, think they are exceptional, while they commit genocide, immiserate popualtions and provoke war after war via proxies. But Russia won't have its hands full with Ukraine forever, and China wont take bloody noses forever. This ends much like every other bloated belligerent violent empire.