A Liberian-flagged gas tanker sailing from Egypt to Ukraine was hit off the coast of Romania on Monday night, in what the Romanian president described as most likely part of Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.
Romanian President Nicusor Dan said the LPG Gas Lisbon was struck approximately 20 nautical miles outside Romanian territorial waters, adding that rescuers had evacuated the crew, including three injured members, and a tugboat had been dispatched to prevent the vessel from drifting.
“Russia hit a Liberian-flagged gas tanker off Romania as Moscow vowed to intensify attacks on Ukraine-bound vessels.”
The attack came as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Russia would not stop striking vessels supplying Ukraine’s military, vowing to step up such assaults.
Earlier, India confirmed four casualties to its nationals in a separate Russian attack on a ship leaving the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa. Ukraine said Russia hit the Golden Leo – a Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel manned by a crew from India and Syria – with three cruise missiles on Sunday.
Meanwhile, at least three Chinese nationals have been wounded in a major Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow, Chinese state media announced on Tuesday morning. The drone assault on the Russian capital involved around 400 UAVs, officials said.
The developments come as Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke with the new British prime minister, Andy Burnham, shortly after he took office yesterday in London. The call followed a Russian warship carrying out a live-fire artillery exercise off the coast of Plymouth on Monday. The Russian frigate Neustrashimy was shadowed by the Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel HMS Tyne and a French military aircraft during the 30-minute operation, having informed the Royal Navy of its intentions ahead of time.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “A Russian naval vessel shadowed by the Royal Navy conducted a live-fire weapons exercise in international waters approximately 40 nautical miles south of Plymouth yesterday. The Royal Navy monitored that exercise throughout, continues to track the vessel’s activity closely, and stands ready to protect UK national security.”
On the energy front, Russia has attacked Naftogaz’s gas production facilities in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region for three days in a row, the state-owned energy company said on Tuesday. An attack on one facility on Sunday resulted in a partial loss of production volumes after equipment needed to be stopped, while another facility was damaged in an attack on Monday morning.
In a separate move, Russia declared two Italian diplomats persona non grata, calling it a reciprocal measure in response to the expulsion of two Russian embassy staff in Italy.