Of that, about 1.56 million barrels a day is on ships from Russia’s western ports showing their destination as Port Said or the Suez Canal, or those from Pacific ports with no clear delivery point, and a further 290,000 barrels a day is on tankers yet to signal any destination.

The strike comes a day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, including a powerful new hypersonic missile that hit western Ukraine.

Trump reportedly approved a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill imposing 500% tariffs on countries buying Russian oil after Lindsey Graham announced a pivotal Ukraine policy shift.

The White House said the crew on the Marinera, which had been re-flagged as a Russian vessel, "will be brought to the United States for such prosecution if necessary."

Two more Russian athletes were approved by the International Olympic Committee to compete at the Milan Cortina Winter Games next month with neutral status. The total is now five athletes with Russian passports and one from Belarus confirmed by the IOC as eligible for the Olympics that open Feb.

Ukraine struck three Russian oil rigs operating in the Caspian Sea on Sunday following Moscow’s large-scale bombardment over the weekend that left thousands without heat or power in Kyiv.

The U.S. seized the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker -- formerly known as the Bella-1 -- which has been linked to Venezuela and was transiting the North Atlantic, according to three sources familiar with the operation. And it also seized another tanker, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

United States forces boarded and seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean Wednesday following a weeks-long chase on the high seas which has escalated tensions with Moscow and piled further pressure on its ally Venezuela.

Between January and November, more than 2,300 Ukrainian civilians were killed and more than 11,000 were injured, the United Nations said earlier in December. That was 26% higher than in the same period in 2024 and 70% higher than in 2023,

Russia demands humane treatment of the crew aboard the seized oil tanker Marinera, and the White House says the Venezuelan shadow fleet vessel faces prosecution.