A Russian Missile Hit A Turkish Grain Vessel For Ukraine Near Romania

Senior officials in Bucharest and Kyiv condemned the attack, saying Russia was behind it. A suspected Russian missile hit a Turkish-operated cargo ship bound for Ukraine about 30 miles off the Romanian coast on Thursday, according to Kyiv and Bucharest authorities.

Ukrainian officials said in a statement that a Russian strategic bomber fired the missile.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Facebook post on Thursday that there were no casualties in the incident. At the same time, photos provided by his office showed that parts of the ship were severely damaged.

The attack occurred outside national waters but within Romania’s exclusive maritime economic zone.

Romanian Defense Minister Angel Terval responded to the incident by saying that the Black Sea “is no longer a space for cooperation, but a war zone.”

“Romania strongly condemns Russia’s unprovoked and illegal aggression against the Ukrainian people, especially its attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure,” he added.

Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned the attack, calling it an “unprecedented escalation” of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The ministry said in a press statement that “the deliberate attack on the cargo ship is a serious violation of international humanitarian law governing the conduct of warfare at sea.”

Bridget A. Brink, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, described the attack as “an escalating and flagrant violation of international law that threatens global food security.”

Moscow said it had no information about the attack. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “the Kremlin is not aware of Kiev’s allegations of a Russian attack on a grain ship in the Black Sea,” according to TASS.