The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that on Sunday, August 13, at 6:40 am, the Russian patrol ship Vasily Bykov stopped a ship heading for the Ukrainian port of Izmail in the southwestern part of the Black Sea for inspection.
The agency said in a statement that the crew of the Palau-flagged Sukru Okan allegedly did not respond to the demands of the Russian side, so warning fire from automatic small arms was fired from a Russian warship to force the ship to stop.
Then the Ka-29 helicopter was lifted into the air. After negotiations by radio, the captain allowed the Russian military to board the cargo ship and conduct an inspection. After the completion of Sukru, Okan continued to move.
This is the first time that the Russian Ministry of Defense has announced that a ship was being fired at, which was heading for a Ukrainian port.
The Vessel Finder website indicates that Sukru Okan was in international waters at that time, and then abruptly headed for Turkish inland waters, and as of 12 noon Kiev time was in Bulgarian waters.
In July 2023, Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and warned that it would consider all ships sailing in the Black Sea to Ukrainian ports as potential carriers of military cargo .
Source : NEWSLIGA