A patrol ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet opened was forced to open fire on the “Apache” bulk carrier, which was sailing towards the Mariupol port, to stop it, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on April 9.
According to Konashenkov, the patrol ship “opened artillery fire in the path of the intruder vessel to stop its movement. A direct hit set on fire the stern of the vessel.”
After that the Ukrainian cargo vessel went adrift and the crew established contact with the border ships asking to cease the fire and confirming their readiness to obey the Russian sailors’ orders.
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In another statement, the Russian ministry of defense claimed that the Apache was attempting to evacuate the leaders of Ukraine’s Azov Batallion from Mariupol’s waterfront, where heavy fighting has been reported.
Last week, a Dominican Republic-flagged vessel was hit in the port of Mariupol after being hit by Russian troops, according to Ukrainian authorities.
As informed, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said that the ship was struck during shelling from the sea by Russia.
Following the Russian shelling, a fire broke in the engine room and a crewmember suffered injuries. According to social media posts of the Ministry, the ship is the 1995-built general cargo vessel Azburg, owned by MSCo Global of Malta.
