Russian warship fired warning shots at cargo ship in Black Sea

(Patria) - A Russian warship fired warning shots at a cargo ship in the southwestern Black Sea as it headed north, Reuters reported.

Russia in July suspended its participation in the Black Sea grain deal that allowed Ukraine to export agricultural products via the Black Sea. Moscow announced that it considers all ships heading to Ukrainian waters to be potentially carrying weapons.

In a statement on Sunday, Russia stated that its patrol ship "Vasily Bykov" fired automatic weapons at the ship "Sukru Okan" flying the flag of Palau after the ship's captain failed to respond to a request to stop for inspection.

Russia announced that the ship was heading towards the Ukrainian port of Izmail.

"To forcibly stop the vessel, warning fire was opened from automatic weapons," the Russian Ministry of Defense stated. The Russian military boarded the ship with the help of a Ka-29 helicopter, they added.

"After the inspection group completed its work on the ship, "Sukru Okan" continued its journey towards the port of Izmail," the Ministry of Defense announced.

A senior advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the incident was "a clear violation of international maritime law, an act of piracy, and a crime against third-country civilian vessels in the waters of other states."

Mykhailo Podolyak added on X that "Ukraine will draw all necessary conclusions and choose the best possible response."

War in the Black Sea

The shooting at a merchant ship will exacerbate existing concerns among shipowners, insurers, and commodity traders about the potential dangers of being caught in the Black Sea – a major route used by both Ukraine and Russia to bring their agricultural products to market.

Russia and Ukraine are two of the world's largest agricultural producers and major players in the markets for wheat, barley, corn, rapeseed, sunflower seeds, and sunflower oil. Russia is also dominant in the fertilizer market. Since Russia withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal, both Moscow and Kyiv have issued warnings and carried out attacks that have caused nervousness in global commodity, oil, and transport markets.

Russia has said that it will treat all ships approaching Ukrainian ports as potential military vessels, and the countries of their flag as combatants on Ukraine's side. Russia has also struck Ukrainian grain facilities on the Danube.

Ukraine has responded with a similar threat to ships approaching Russian or Russian-controlled Ukrainian ports. Ukraine has also attacked a Russian oil tanker and a warship at its naval base in Novorossiysk, next to a major grain and oil port.

Ukraine and Western countries say Russia's actions constitute a de facto blockade of Ukrainian ports, threatening to cut off the supply of wheat and sunflower seeds from Ukraine to world markets.

Russia rejects this interpretation and says the West has not implemented a parallel agreement to ease rules for its own food and fertilizer exports.