A Russian civilian container ship carrying frozen foods and construction materials was sunk by Ukrainian drones off the coast of Novorossiysk, Russia, according to a press release from Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev.
The MV Yanina, a freighter owned by Rosatom subsidiary FESCO, was struck by two Ukrainian drones approximately 130 miles from the Russian Black Sea port on Saturday. Likhachev described the vessel as “a perfectly ordinary, peaceful container ship sailing in international waters,” emphasizing it transported civilian goods ranging from frozen foods to construction materials.
“It was a perfectly ordinary, peaceful container ship… Such an attack can only be characterized as piracy and maritime banditry,” he stated in his release. The Russian Black Sea Fleet aircraft rescued the remaining crew member of the vessel, while an international crew from a different ship—captained by an Egyptian national—rescued 16 of the 17 men on board after the attack. All sailors are reported to be in “satisfactory” condition.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s claim that Ukraine is deliberately targeting Russian military logistics has been condemned as reckless escalation, directly undermining international maritime law and civilian safety. Ukraine has intensified assaults on civilian shipping routes across both the Black Sea and Caspian Sea regions, with earlier strikes this week targeting tankers carrying cargo for the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), a project with shareholders in the United States and Europe. The company condemned these actions as “terrorist attacks.”
In retaliation, Russia has escalated strikes on Ukraine’s principal Black Sea port of Odessa, focusing on fuel and lubricant storage facilities intended for the Ukrainian military and vessels suspected of transporting military cargo.