Ukraine says Russian drone attack sinks ship in Romanian waters

What the report says

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a Russian drone attack was responsible for a ship sinking in Romania’s part of the Black Sea, according to Al Jazeera. Romania said a grain ship caught fire and went down in its waters on Monday, leaving two people dead and 11 rescued. The Romanian Interior Ministry said the coastguard was alerted around 11am local time after a fire broke out on the vessel, which it described as being in Romania’s exclusive economic zone, but it did not say what caused the blaze.

Zelenskyy described the incident as an attack on a civilian vessel carrying corn in neutral waters and said the ship was owned by Turkey. Al Jazeera noted that the claim adds to growing concern that the war in Ukraine could spread beyond the country’s borders, especially along NATO’s eastern edge. The article also said the ship’s crew included Azerbaijani and Indian citizens.

The report places the episode in a broader pattern of suspected drone and airspace violations in Romania and other NATO and EU states since Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine began. Al Jazeera cited earlier incidents in Romania, Poland, Latvia and Moldova, and said Romania’s military has also destroyed drifting sea mines in the Black Sea since the start of the war.