Russian Attacks on Civilian Ships in the Black Sea: Expert Calls for Tighter Sanctions
In early October, several merchant ships in the Black Sea came under attack near the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria. There were fatalities among the crews, and some ships sank. Maritime logistics expert Serhiy Gursky is calling on the international community to increase pressure on Russia and investigate the attacks.
On October 5, a fire broke out on the Turkish vessel Royad Mammadov, which was transporting Ukrainian grain from Izmail to Italy, near Romania’s maritime borders. According to available information, there were fatalities among the crew.
On October 6, two ships were attacked near the Bulgarian coast. The Togolese-flagged Alfa Watan sank, killing all ten crew members. The Palau-flagged vessel Able was damaged, but all 18 sailors were successfully evacuated.
Another incident occurred on the night of October 13. Three drones attacked the Chelsea 3, a Maltese-flagged vessel owned by a Ukrainian company. There were 15 people on board—seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijani citizens. All crew members were rescued, and five required medical attention.
According to Gursky, the Chelsea 3 was built at the Kherson Shipyard using Ukrainian steel. The expert personally participated in its construction.
He emphasized that attacks on merchant ships pose a serious threat to civilian seafarers and international shipping.
Gursky called on Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria to jointly investigate the incidents, and on international partners to increase pressure on Russia. Among the proposed measures, he cited stricter requirements for the technical condition and insurance of ships through the International Maritime Organization, as well as additional restrictions against Russia’s shadow fleet.
According to the expert, without a coordinated international response, the risks to civilian shipping in the Black Sea will continue to grow.
Source: RBC-Ukraine
Russian drones entered the airspace of Romania and Moldova.
A Russian helicopter remained in Polish airspace for 42 seconds; Turkey, for its part, shot down a Russian bomber in 17 seconds.
