Under the pretext of a self-proclaimed “counter-terrorist operation”, Russian Navy ships have captured two Ukrainian civilian vessels with nearly 50 crew members in the northwestern Black Sea. This was reported by the State Border Service of Ukraine.
According to the report, the Athena tanker, being in the territorial sea of Romania, 22 miles from Zmeiny Island, received an open channel of communication and navigation safety to approach the Russian warship for inspection.
“The shipowner of the Athena tanker immediately notified all the competent authorities in Ukraine about this. Meanwhile, while tracking the movement of vessels in the area, the maritime border guards recorded the fact of a sharp and illogical change of course by another vessel flying the Ukrainian flag. The cargo ship “Princess Nicole” from Romanian waters was also heading to the island of Serpents. Almost immediately, as both civilian ships approached the warships of the Russian Federation, they turned off the AIS on them and stopped communicating, ”the ministry said.