Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom announced that the Yanina, a container ship owned by its subsidiary FESCO, sank approximately 130 nautical miles off Novorossiysk after being attacked overnight by unmanned surface drones belonging to the Ukrainian Navy.
According to Rosatom, the Yanina sustained severe damage during the attack by Ukrainian naval drones before sinking in the Black Sea, about 130 nautical miles from the Russian port city of Novorossiysk.
In a statement, the company said: “Last night in the Black Sea, approximately 130 nautical miles from the city of Novorossiysk, the FESCO-owned vessel Yanina, which is part of Rosatom, was damaged and sank as a result of an attack by maritime combat drones operated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
Commenting on the incident, Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev stated that the Yanina was an ordinary civilian container ship sailing in international waters when it came under attack by the Ukrainian military.
Likhachev said that all 17 crew members aboard the vessel were safely rescued and confirmed that they were in good health.
The Rosatom chief described the attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine as an act of piracy and maritime hijacking.