Russian military forces have once again targeted a Turkish-owned civilian vessel.
Modern.az reports that, according to information from the Ukrainian Naval Forces, on Saturday, a Turkish vessel named “VIVA”, which was moving towards Egypt, was struck by an unmanned aerial vehicle.
It is noted that the Russian side deliberately struck the “VIVA” vessel, which was carrying sunflower oil. The ship was moving along the grain corridor in the Black Sea, and there were 11 citizens of the Republic of Turkey on board.
Ukrainian military personnel stated that no crew members were injured as a result of the incident. Currently, the vessel continues its movement and is sailing towards its destination port, Egypt.
According to the information, the attack occurred in the open sea, within Ukraine's exclusive economic zone, and this area is located outside the coverage of Ukraine's air defense systems. The Ukrainian Naval Forces assessed Russia's action as a gross violation of international maritime law. It was noted that such attacks contradict the fundamental principles of freedom of navigation and constitute a clear violation of the San Remo Manual.
The Ukrainian side announced that constant contact is maintained with the ship's captain, and maritime search and rescue services are ready to assist if needed.
It should be recalled that on December 12, another Turkish-owned civilian vessel was damaged and caught fire in Ukraine's Odesa region as a result of a Russian airstrike. That vessel was traveling from Turkey's Karasu port towards Romania.
