Russian attack on Turkish merchant ship kills one, eight crew members rescued – photos
Russian forces have struck a Turkish dry cargo ship with a drone, causing a major fire; one sailor was killed whilst the rest of the crew were rescued. In total, four merchant vessels came under attack by the Russians overnight.
Source: Ukrainian Navy; Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine; Oleh Kiper, Head of Odesa Oblast Military Administration
Details: A Russian drone struck the Turkish-owned cargo vessel VICTRESS, sailing under the Panamanian flag. There were nine crew members on board, who are citizens of Egypt, Turkey and India.
"Given the difficult situation and the risk of the fire spreading further, crews from Ukrainian Navy boats successfully conducted a rescue operation to evacuate the cargo vessel's crew. Sadly, there were casualties among them," the Ukrainian Navy said.
The Ukrainian Navy did not provide further details but released photographs showing the fire aboard the cargo ship and the rescued sailors.
Update: Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction and Minister for Community and Territory Development, later specified that the Russian forces had struck two merchant vessels overnight on 21-22 June and attacked two other vessels.
"A fire broke out on a Panama-flagged vessel as a result of a drone strike. A crew member was killed – a 58-year-old cook, an Egyptian national. Eight sailors, including citizens of Türkiye and India, were forced to evacuate on a life raft," the minister said.
He added that the vessel had sustained significant damage and was no longer seaworthy.
Kuleba also reported that the Russians had attacked vessels flying the flags of Palau and Belize.
"There were no casualties, and the damaged vessels continued on their way," the minister concluded.
Later still, the head of Odesa Oblast Military Administration reported that the Russians had attacked three merchant vessels heading for ports in Odesa Oblast.
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