Russia fires at ship in Black Sea after it ignored warning

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 Aug 2023 16:16

The Russian Ministry of Defense announces that the Russian warship threatened a ship headed to Ukraine after it refused to halt for inspection.

In this photo released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, July 21, 2023, warships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet sail while taking part in naval drills in the Black Sea. (AP)

The Russian Defense Ministry announced in a statement that one of its navy warships fired Sunday warning shots on a Palau-flagged dry cargo ship in the southwestern Black Sea, after it was determined that the ship was headed toward Ukraine.

According to the statement, the Sukru Okan vessel's captain failed to respond to the Russian request to halt for inspection, and as a result, the Vasily Bykov patrol ship fired automatic weapons at the vessel.

"To forcibly stop the vessel, warning fire was opened from automatic weapons," the Russian defense ministry noted adding that "after the inspection group completed its work on board, the Sukru Okan continued on its way to the port of Izmail."

Black Sea grain shipments risky without security guarantees: Kremlin

Earlier, in July, the Kremlin cautioned that attempting to move grain from Ukrainian Black Sea ports without Russian security assurances would be dangerous since Kiev exploited the seas for military purposes.

The agreements underlying the contentious Black Sea Grain Deal have been "terminated," according to the Kremlin on Monday morning. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the country will return to the agreement as soon as all parties involved take the previously agreed-upon procedures.

Peskov stated at a press conference, held the day the pact expired, that the "Black Sea agreements effectively ceased to be in effect today."

According to Peskov, "The Russian Federation will return to the deal as soon as the Russian prerequisites are met..."The Grain Deal has come to a halt," he said, emphasizing that the other signatories had yet to honor some of the agreement's stipulations regarding Russia.

Moreover, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow has officially notified Turkey, Ukraine, and the UN that it will not renew the agreement.

In a briefing, Peskov told reporters, "We're talking about an area that's close to a war zone... Without the appropriate security guarantees, certain risks arise there. So if something is formalized without Russia, these risks should be taken into account."

According to him, the waters are obviously used by Ukraine for military purposes.