Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned a Russian assault on a grain‑laden ship in the Black Sea, calling the act horrific.
According to Zelensky, the captain was killed and a second sailor remains missing in the drone attack, while eleven crew members— nationals of Azerbaijan and India—were rescued.
Romania launched a rescue operation after a fire on the vessel Royad Mammadov in waters outside its territorial limit, reporting two fatalities.
Russia has remained silent, though its defense ministry previously acknowledged striking two cargo ships. Moscow frames its actions as retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries and Black Sea shipping.
The Russian assault, occurring on Monday, targeted a Turkish‑owned civilian vessel carrying corn in neutral waters, Zelensky noted.
Zelensky did not disclose the ship’s precise location; Romania’s interior ministry reported the vessel sank roughly 30 nautical miles south of Sfantu Gheorghe port.
The ministry stated that at approximately 11:00 GMT (09:00 UTC), coast guard officers were alerted to a fire aboard a commercial vessel within Romania’s exclusive economic zone.
Eleven crew members were rescued, and two fatalities have been identified, the ministry added.
The Ukrainian president emphasized that he has repeatedly offered concrete de‑escalation measures to enhance Black Sea security, and other nations have put forward relevant proposals as well.
“Yet Russia persistently opts for terror and sinking civilian ships rather than adhering to normal maritime navigation,” Zelensky stated.
He continued, “Restoring global food security requires pressure, and anyone genuinely committed to this cause must assist.”
On Sunday, Russia’s defense ministry announced it would escalate strikes across Ukraine, citing President Zelensky’s earlier threat to increase attacks on Russian oil refineries.
Ukraine argues that its strikes on Russian oil infrastructure aim to deprive the Kremlin of war funding since Russia’s full‑scale invasion began in February 2022.
President Vladimir Putin acknowledged last week that Kyiv’s refinery attacks had achieved some results, with Russia incurring roughly a 1 % loss of its GDP.
Putin has also escalated his rhetoric against Ukraine’s Western allies, reiterating the threat to employ nuclear weapons if necessary.
Western allies have reported a rise in hybrid‑warfare incidents attributed to Russia, especially in Poland and the Baltic states over recent months.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned last Thursday that Germany is preparing for additional hybrid attacks, “including serious ones,” following the discovery in August of an explosive‑laden drone on the tarmac at Leipzig airport near Ukrainian cargo aircraft.
Martin Jaeger, head of Germany’s foreign intelligence, said on Monday that Germany faces the risk of being drawn into a violent conflict with Russia, which is conducting a shadow war where attacks on German soil remain a real and imminent threat.