The Russians said they allegedly opened “warning” fire at a civilian vessel in the Black Sea at dawn on August 13. The Palau-flagged dry cargo ship Sukru Okan was heading to the port of Ismail. The occupiers claim that the ship did not respond to the so-called “requirements to stop for inspection,” so the ship was “forced to stop with warning shots and from a Ka-29 helicopter landed its inspection team on it”.
However, the sailors of one of the ships, who observed this event from a distance, provided evidence that the Russian Ministry of Defense lied about the successful inspection of the ship, the InformNapalm project reported.
The Sukru Okan ship ignored Russian demands to stop and instead temporarily changed course towards Turkish territorial waters. According to objective control data, the occupiers did not use a helicopter or fire warning shots.
The Southern Defense Forces of Ukraine said that the Russians’ actions are another demonstration of aggression. “They are trying their best to denote their dominance in the Black Sea. Allegedly they can stop the ship, raise the aircraft, and they will not be sanctioned for this kind of stop-and-search, but today this version has not been confirmed by anyone else,” Natalia Humeniuk, head of the joint press center of the Southern Defense Forces of Ukraine said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine condemned Russia’s provocative actions. “Russia should not be able to block international routes in the Black Sea, particularly those leading to Ukrainian seaports. In this regard, Ukraine urges its partners to strengthen their efforts to preserve the functioning of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which is crucial to ensuring global food security,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.
Cover: Reuters
