Russia fires warning shots at cargo ship in Black Sea

Around 6:40 a.m. Moscow time on Sunday, the Russian patrol boat Vasily Bykov fired a warning with “automatic small arms” on the Palau-flagged cargo vessel Sukru Okan due to the ship’s failure to reply to a request to carry out an inspection, according to a statement published on ministry’s website. The ministry said that the ship was heading toward the port of Izmail in Ukraine.

The ship stopped and allowed for a Russian “inspection team” to board and carry out checks, before proceeding to its destination, the ministry said. According to shipping data platform Vessel Finder, the Sukru Okan is currently en route for the Romanian port of Sulina.