Russian warship fires warning shots to stop cargo ship in Black Sea

SpaceWar.com reports: “Russian naval forces in the Black Sea forced a cargo ship heading to a Ukrainian port to stop after firing warning shots, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday.

The Palau-flagged dry cargo ship Sukru Okan was on its way to the port of Izmail early on Sunday when it was intercepted by Black Sea Fleet’s patrol ship Vasily Bykov for inspection, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Russian news agency Tass.

The ship’s captain failed to respond to demands to stop for inspection, resulting in warning shots being fired from automatic small arms, the officials said.

A helicopter carrying a Russian inspection team took off from the Vasily Bykov and landed on the Sukru Okan after the latter ship’s captain was contacted via radio, according to the ministry.

‘After the inspection group completed its work aboard the Sukru Okan, the vessel continued sailing towards the port of Izmail,’ its statement said. ‘The Black Sea Fleet’s ships continue patrols in the designated areas.’

Russia warned last month it assume that all vessels bound for Ukrainian ports via the Black Sea could be potential carriers of miliary supplies for Kyiv following President Vladimir Putin’s withdrawal from a United Nations-brokered grain deal…”

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