A Russian warship fired on a cargo ship in the Black Sea bound for the Ukrainian port of Izmail after it failed to respond to Russian warnings, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. According to Reuters, this was the first time that Russia had fired on merchant ships in the Black Sea.
Russia said in a statement that its patrol ship, Vasily Bykov, fired automatic weapons at the Palauan-flagged ship Sukru Okan after the ship’s captain did not respond to a request to stop for an inspection.
“To forcibly stop the ship, warning shots were fired from automatic weapons,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The Russian military boarded the ship using a Ka-29 helicopter, the ministry said, adding that “after the inspection team completed its work on board, the Sukru Okan vessel continued on its way to the port of Izmail.”
A spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said that the authorities did not yet have details of the incident, but that it was “clearly another hostile act” by Russia.
Author: morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
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