Rosatom CEO Labels Ukrainian Attack on Civilian Vessel as Piracy and Maritime Robbery

MOSCOW, August 1 /TASS/. The Ukrainian military's attack on the Yanina, a vessel owned by the FESCO Transport Group, which is part of Rosatom, is an act of piracy and maritime robbery, the state corporation’s CEO Alexey Likhachev said.

"Around 10:00 p.m on July 31 [around 7:00 p.m. GMT on July 31], two Ukrainian military maritime drones attacked our vessel. I want to emphasize that this was an ordinary, peaceful container ship sailing in international waters and carrying civilian goods ranging from frozen foods to construction and finishing materials. Such an attack cannot be interpreted as anything other than piracy and maritime robbery," Rosatom quoted Likhachev as saying in a statement.

According to the official, all crew members were promptly rescued from the sinking ship.

"All 17 crew members have been rescued and are in satisfactory condition. A big thanks to the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s helicopter crews! I would also like to sincerely thank the international crew of the Delphinus vessel, led by its captain, an Egyptian citizen, who, despite the danger posed by drones, set out at night to the crash site and rescued our crew members. The world is changing, but the concept of ‘maritime brotherhood’ remains an eternal value!" Likhachev emphasized.

Early in the morning on August 1, the Yanina vessel was damaged and sank in the Black Sea, 130 miles from Novorossiysk, as a result of a Ukrainian maritime drone attack.