A Russian warship opened fire and boarded a cargo ship in the Black Sea on Sunday, according to a Russian Defense Ministry report on its official Telegram channel.
According to the statement, this Sunday, patrol vessel Vasily Bykov flagged the Sukra Okan cargo ship. The encounter took place in the southwestern area of the Black Sea, Russia claims.
The Russian patrol boat approached the coordinates of the cargo ship and attempted, according to the Russian Ministry, to establish radio communication with it to order it to stop. The patrol vessel's intention was to inspect the cargo ship. At the end of July, Russia terminated the agreement negotiated together with the UN, Turkey and Ukraine to allow the passage of cargo ships with wheat through the Black Sea.
En la Web aparecieron imágenes del trabajo del equipo de inspección de la Armada rusa, que aterrizó esta mañana en el buque de carga seca Sukra Okan en el Mar Negro. pic.twitter.com/R86Br8n0JR
— Lorena (@lorena3afrodita) August 14, 2023
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, when the ship did not respond to its radio calls, the patrol boat Vasily Bykov fired warning shots. The statement specifies that the warning shots were fired with a light automatic weapon, not from the AK-176 automatic gun barrel with which Russian 22160-class patrol boats are equipped.
The Russian military boarded the Sukru Okan with the help of an AK-29 naval helicopter. After inspecting the cargo ship, the Russian forces allowed it to continue on its way to Turkish ports.
According to the Russian Ministry, the ship continued toward the Ukrainian port of Izmail, but CNN accessed sea crossing data which shows that the vessel headed instead for a port in Romania.
