ALBAWABA - A cargo vessel en route to Ukraine was hit and set on fire by a Russian drone in the Black Sea - killing one Egyptian cook while the rest of the crew of eight fled from the attack on a lifeboat.
The cook, 58-year-old Egyptian national, becomes one of the latest casualties in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The ship, a Turkish cargo vessel named Victress, was Panama-flagged, according to the Ukrainian Navy.
"This incident once again demonstrates that the Russian Federation continues to violate the norms of international maritime law and to pose threats to civilian shipping," the navy said in a Telegram post.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister also commented on the strike, saying:
"A drone strike set fire to a vessel sailing under the Panama flag. A crew member was killed -- a 58-year-old cook, a citizen of Egypt," He said that the vessel "sustained significant damage and lost seaworthiness".
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, this isn’t the first time that the Russians strike non-affiliated vessels, saying that Russians also attacked vessels sailing under the flags of Palau and Belize, however, with no casualties.
The Russo-Ukrainian war has been raging on since 2022 with no end in sight, though statements made in the G7 hinted that they will prioritzie ending the conflict after the US-Iran war, with Trump saying: "So, I think now that this (Iran war) is finished, we are going to be focusing on that and see if we can get that one done."
