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Russian Drone Attack on Foreign-Flagged Ships in Black Sea Kills One, Injures Five
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A Russian drone attack on civilian vessels in the Black Sea killed one crew member and injured five others, including a sailor in critical condition, according to Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration and Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksii Kuleba on June 18.
Kuleba said the strike targeted two ships sailing under foreign flags in the Black Sea.
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“As a result of a Russian drone attack on civilian vessels in the Black Sea, a crew member aboard a ship flying the Panamanian flag was killed. Two other sailors were injured, one of them seriously,” the minister stated.
According to him, a second vessel sailing under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis also came under attack. Three crew members aboard that ship sustained minor injuries.
Kuleba condemned the strikes, describing them as another attack on international maritime commerce and civilian shipping.
“This is further proof that Russia is waging war against freedom of navigation, international trade, and global food security. Civilian crews, merchant vessels, and maritime infrastructure that support humanitarian and export routes are under attack,” he said. “But such crimes must receive a clear international assessment—terrorism. The world cannot become accustomed to civilian sailors being targets of Russian weapons,” Kuleba added.
In a separate maritime incident on June 16, a Russian naval vessel fired warning shots near a British-flagged yacht while both were transiting the English Channel.
According to The Telegraph, the UK Coastguard was notified of the incident by the yacht's crew after the vessel encountered the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich, part of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
The outlet described the episode as the latest in a series of increasingly tense interactions involving Russian naval activity near British waters. The Admiral Grigorovich has previously been linked to escort operations involving vessels associated with Russia’s so-called shadow fleet and has reportedly operated near offshore wind energy infrastructure off the coast of Suffolk.
Crew members aboard the yacht said the warning fire occurred shortly after the two vessels passed each other at around 11:40 a.m. GMT, roughly 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, in international waters beyond the UK’s territorial sea.
The incident came a day after the Russian frigate was shadowed through the Channel by the Royal Navy’s River-class offshore patrol vessels, HMS Mersey and HMS Tyne.
No injuries or damage were reported. The yacht continued its journey, and The Telegraph reported that a boat from HMS Tyne later approached the vessel to check on the welfare of those on board and verify that they were safe.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned the incident in which a Russian frigate fired warning shots toward a civilian yacht in the English Channel, calling the act reckless and irresponsible.
“What happened in the Channel was deeply concerning. It was reckless,” the British prime minister said.
He added that, according to the Ministry of Defense’s assessment, the Russian warship had been drifting at the time and discharged warning fire during the encounter.
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