According to the British, Russia fired missiles at a cargo ship in the Black Sea last month. This was stated by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday. He relied on intelligence from British spy services.
According to Sunak, the attack occurred on August 24. The ship, which was sailing under the Liberian flag, was reportedly attacked with “various missiles.” London says the cargo ship was in a Ukrainian port, but there were no reports of it being bombed.
According to the British, Ukrainian air defenses intercepted the missiles. A Russian warship fired at least two Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea Fleet, according to the British Foreign Office.
After Russia withdrew from the international grain deal in July, Moscow threatened to monitor cargo ships heading to Ukraine or docking in Ukrainian ports. This was like a naval blockade. Moscow has described waters near Ukrainian ports such as Odessa “dangerous” and claimed it has the right to search any commercial ship for weapons.
But until Monday it was not known that the Russians had gone so far as to target a foreign cargo ship with missiles. The missile attack came days after Ukraine decided to allow cargo ships stuck in Ukrainian ports since the invasion to leave. Four merchant ships managed to leave Odessa through a “sea corridor” along the coast.
In mid-August, a Russian naval ship fired warning shots at another ship, the Turkish container ship Sukru Okan. It happened sixty kilometers from the Turkish coast. Russian Marines also boarded the ship because the crew ignored the ship’s naval instructions.
Stephen Ramdary
