Russia strikes civilian vessel in Black Sea, Ukrainian sailor killed

Russia attacked a cargo vessel sailing under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda in the Black Sea overnight on September 23, killing the captain, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority reported.

The strike caused a fire to break out on board the vessel. The crew was evacuated by Ukraine’s Naval Forces, after which the fire was extinguished.

The vessel’s captain, a Ukrainian sailor, was killed in the attack.

The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority described the strike as another Russian attack on civilian shipping in the Black Sea and expressed condolences to the victim’s family and friends.

“The world must see and properly assess Russia’s deliberate terror against civilian shipping and the people who ensure the operation of maritime routes,” the agency said.

• On September 17, a Russian drone attacked a civilian vessel in the Black Sea en route to one of Ukraine’s ports. The vessel’s captain was killed in the strike.