MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian warship on Sunday opened warning fire on a Palau-flagged dry cargo ship in the southwestern Black Sea as it made its way to Ukraine, the Russian defence ministry said.
Russia said its Vasily Bykov patrol ship fired with automatic weapons on the “Sukru Okan” vessel after the captain did not respond to a request to halt for an inspection.
The Sukru Okan was making its way towards the Ukrainian port of Izmail, the defence ministry said.
“To forcibly stop the vessel, warning fire was opened from automatic weapons,” the Russian defence ministy said.
The Russian military boarded the vessel with the help of a Ka-29 helicopter.
“After the inspection group completed its work on board, the Sukru Okan continued on its way to the port of Izmail,” the defence ministry said.
Shipping databases list the Sukru Okan as a Palau-flagged vessel with a tonnage of 2155 whose home port is Istanbul.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge)
