London: At least one person was killed while 11 others were rescued after a Russian drone strike caused a fire on a Turkish-owned civilian cargo vessel in the Black Sea carrying Indian and Azerbaijani citizens, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday.
“A horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel in neutral waters carrying corn and owned by Turkiye,” he said in a post on X.
“Azerbaijani and Indian citizens were on board. As of now, unfortunately, we know that the ship’s captain was killed. My condolences. The fate of one other person is still being established,” he said.
Zelenskyy said 11 crew members were rescued, one of them injured.
He further said that Ukraine has repeatedly proposed concrete steps to de-escalate the situation and ensure security in the Black Sea.
“Pressure is needed to restore global food security. And everyone who is genuinely interested in this must help,” he posted.
The Black Sea is a critical global trade chokepoint facing severe disruption due to escalating attacks on commercial shipping and port infrastructure amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
On Sunday, a 52-year-old employee of a pharmaceutical warehouse belonging to Indian owners was killed in a Russian strike in Ukraine’s Sumy.
On Sunday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India has moved beyond advocacy and stepped up its efforts in recent months to resolve the Ukraine conflict by engaging in conversations with both Kyiv and Moscow.
Jaishankar's comments at an event came days after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ‘good ideas’ to find a mutually acceptable solution to the conflict.