Zelensky condemns 'horrific' Russian strike on boat carrying corn in Black Sea — SkimNews
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- Zelensky condemned the 'horrific' Russian attack on a civilian vessel carrying corn in neutral Black Sea waters, killing the ship's captain and leaving another sailor unaccounted for.
- The Royad Mammadov, a Turkish-owned ship, sank about 30 nautical miles south of Romania's Sfantu Gheorghe port; Romania mounted a rescue mission in its exclusive economic zone and confirmed two deaths.
- Eleven crew members — nationals of Azerbaijan and India — were rescued from the vessel, according to Romania's interior ministry.
- Russia's defence ministry earlier said it had struck two cargo vessels, framing its Black Sea attacks as retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries and ships.
- Zelensky said he had repeatedly proposed concrete steps to de-escalate Black Sea security, accusing Russia of choosing 'terror and sinking civilian vessels instead of normal maritime navigation.'
Why it matters: The strike on a Turkish-owned grain vessel in neutral waters escalates the Black Sea conflict beyond military targets and directly threatens civilian food-shipping corridors. With Russia's defence ministry pledging intensified strikes and Zelensky demanding international pressure, commercial grain traffic in the Black Sea faces renewed danger, raising stakes for Turkey and other grain-importing nations.
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