The crew of the Bella1} tanker, which the U.S. Coast Guard has been chasing since at least Dec. 21, 2025, has now painted a Russian flag on the ship’s side. As a result, Russia has submitted a diplomatic request to the U.S. to stop the pursuit, the New York Times reported on Jan. 1, citing two unnamed sources “with knowledge of the matter.” According to the sources, the request was delivered to the State Department late on New Year’s Eve and also to the National Security Council. The Bella 1 recently appeared in Russia’s official register of ships, under a new name, the Marinera, with a home port of Sochi on the Black Sea.