Russian warship fires warning shots on cargo ship in Black Sea
BY - MAHI
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian warship fired warning shots at a cargo ship in the southwestern Black Sea on Sunday,
As he headed north, Russia has fired on merchant shipping beyond Ukraine for the first time since pulling out of a UN-brokered grain deal last week. month.
Russia in July halted participation in a Black Sea grain deal that allowed Ukraine to export farm produce through the Black Sea
And Moscow has warned that it regards all ships headed for Ukrainian waters as potentially carrying weapons.
Russia said in a statement that its Vasili Bykov patrol vessel had fired automatic weapons at the Palau-flagged Sukru Okon vessel,
Because the ship's captain had failed to respond to a request to stop for inspection.
Russia said the ship was headed for the Ukrainian port of Izmail.
Refinitiv shipping data showed that the vessel was currently off the coast of Bulgaria and was headed towards the Romanian port of Sulina.
"Warning shots were fired from automatic weapons to force the ship to stop," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The Russian military boarded the ship with the help of a Ka-29 helicopter, the ministry said.
"After the inspection group completed its work on board, Sukru Okan continued its way towards the Izmail port," the defense ministry said.