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Russia Claims Cargo Ship Sinking off Spanish Coast Was Act of Terrorism
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![Maryna_kulakova]( "Maryna Kulakova")
-924c3c302c27387e19f6c44aaeb98745.png "Maryna Kulakova")
A Russian cargo ship Ursa Major, which sank in the Mediterranean Sea on December 23, was the victim of "an act of terrorism," according to the vessel's owner, as reported by Russian state news agency RIA.
Built in 2009, the ship was carrying 16 crew members when the explosion occurred, leaving two missing, according to a statement from Russia's Foreign Ministry on December 24.
RIA cited Oboronlogistika, the ship’s owner and a subsidiary of the Russian Defense Ministry involved in military construction operations, claiming the vessel was deliberately targeted in a terrorist act.
The ship was reportedly en route to Vladivostok, transporting two massive port cranes secured on its deck, Oboronlogistika said in an earlier statement.
The Ursa Major was one of five Russian cargo vessels, including three large military landing ships and two freighters, that recently entered the Mediterranean Sea.
Analysts suggest that the fleet was tasked with evacuating military equipment and weapons from Russia’s bases in Tartus and Khmeimim, Syria.
Earlier, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine (HUR) reported that a Russian military cargo ship, Sparta, sent to retrieve military equipment and weaponry from Syria, broke down while en route near the Portuguese coast.
