"Two Russian sailors have been released and are on their way home to Russia," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, according to state media. Moscow initially condemned the seizure as "maritime piracy" and accused Washington of violating international maritime law. U.S. officials had previously said the crew could face prosecution in the United States, a prospect Russia described as "categorically unacceptable." Moscow argued that the seizure threatened freedom of navigation under the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. British authorities said their support for the operation complied with international law and was aimed at disrupting sanctions evasion.