Russian patrol ship Vasily Bykov attacks a civilian dry cargo ship

In the southwestern part of the Black Sea, Russians attacked a civilian ship sailing toward the Ukrainian port of Izmayil. The press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on this. The Project 22160 Vasily Bykov patrol ship opened a warning fire on the civil cargo ship Sukru Okan, sailing the Palauan flag.

The Russians report that the captain of the vessel did not respond to demands to stop for a search of the vessel for the transportation of prohibited cargo.

The Sukru Okan cargo ship. Photo credits: Sergey Krivenko/ MarineTraffic.com.

The crew of the Vasily Bykov then opened warning fire with automatic small arms. A Ka-29 helicopter took off from the patrol ship with a group of soldiers who boarded the vessel.

After the inspection was completed, the Russians abandoned the dry cargo ship, and it continued its move to the port of Izmayil. Militarnyi recently reported that on August 1, 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported an "unsuccessful" attack by three naval drones of the Black Sea Fleet Project 22160 Sergey Kotov and Vasily Bykov patrol ships, and, according to information spread by Russian social media users, the Sparta-IV container ship.

The Sukru Okan cargo ship. Photo credits: Sergey Krivenko/ MarineTraffic.com.

Then, the Russian navy sailors called in Ka-29s to evacuate the dead and wounded, although it was not disclosed which vessel had been damaged.

On July 17, Russia announced its withdrawal of shipping safety guarantees within the framework of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Later, on July 20, Ukraine announced that it would consider any vessels heading toward Russian seaports and occupied Ukrainian seaports as carrying military cargo.

In addition, on August 10, the Ukrainian Navy announced the creation of temporary corridors for merchant vessels sailing to and from Ukrainian ports.