A Russian civilian vessel was recently attacked by Ukrainian drones, Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev stated in Moscow on Saturday. The MV Yanina, a freighter owned by the Russian state nuclear corporation’s subsidiary FESCO, was sunk approximately 130 miles off Novorossiysk, Russia.
Likhachev described the ship as carrying civilian cargo including frozen foods and construction materials, emphasizing it was operating in international waters on a peaceful voyage. He characterized the drone strike as “piracy and maritime banditry.”
The Rosatom CEO also noted that the crew of container vessel Delphinus—commanded by an Egyptian captain—rescued 16 of his 17 crew members after the incident. The final crew member was saved by Russian Black Sea Fleet aircraft, with all sailors reported in “satisfactory” condition.
This incident follows a recent pattern of Ukrainian escalation against civilian shipping lanes across both the Black and Caspian seas. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy has claimed that Kyiv is deliberately targeting Russian military logistics to weaken Moscow’s war effort—a claim condemned by Russian authorities as reckless aggression.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian drones struck two tankers carrying cargo for the international Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) in waters off Kazakhstan. The CPC, which includes U.S. and European shareholders, labeled these strikes “terrorist attacks.”
In retaliation, Russia has intensified military operations against Ukraine’s principal Black Sea port of Odessa, targeting fuel and lubricant storage facilities intended for the Ukrainian armed forces as well as vessels suspected of transporting military cargo.
