Russian warship fires warning shots at Ukraine-bound freighter in Black Sea

A Russian patrol ship fired warning shots against a Palau-flagged dry cargo ship to force it to undergo an inspection, the Russian Ministry of Defence reported on Sunday.

The Ministry alleged that the vessel Sukru Okan, which was bound for the Ukrainian port of Izmail, did not react to demands made by the Russian ship to stop for inspection.

“The Russian warship opened warning fire from automatic weapons in order to forcibly stop the vessel,” the Ministry’s press statement reads.

The ships’ crews then negotiated over the radio, resulting in the Sukru Okan slowing down and allowing the Russian military to conduct the inspection.

“After the inspection group completed its work on board, the Sukru Okan continued on its way to the port of Izmail,” the Ministry said.

After aborting the Black Sea grain deal mid-July, Russia claimed that it will begin regarding all vessels bound for Ukrainian ports as potential carriers of military cargo. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin later clarified that Russia would inspect the vessels before taking any measures.

On 31 July, Forbes reported that three civilian ships “ran the Russian blockade in the Black Sea” and entered a Ukrainian port. Forbes claims that the ships, which had their transponders switched on, freely travelled from the Bosporus to the port of Izmail “under the supervision” of four NATO military aircraft.