Russian telegram channels alleged that the ship contained British weapons for Ukraine (Image: Will Stewart/ East2WestNews)
Russian President Vladimir Putin struck a cargo ship with missiles to “sink” it after unconfirmed Russian sources alleged that the ship carried British weapons to aid Ukraine.
Two Iskander-M ballistic missiles hit the reportedly Swiss-owned MSC LEVANTE F, a Panama-flagged container ship.
The ship was struck soon after it reached Odesa in Ukraine on March 1 after making a stop in Turkey.
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According to Ukrainian officials, the missile strike damaged infrastructure and wounded two port workers.
Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba denied Russian allegations, stating that the vessel carried “completely civilian cargoes.”
The report of the attack follows British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders to discuss the future of Ukraine as Moscow continues to rain attacks on Kyiv following Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Zelensky departed Washington on Friday after a surprisingly heated public exchange with US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, with the US officials alleging that he had failed to thank the US for their support.
According to Russian Telegram channel TalipoV Online Z, the ship that was struck contained drones and weaponry collected from a NATO ally in Turkey before being taken to the Ukrainian city of Odesa.
“It was established that in Turkey the ship loaded additional containers of two colours on board – red and yellow – which contained British sea drones and weapons from the Turkish NATO base,” the channel claimed.
“Upon arrival at the port of Odesa, the ship was hit by two missiles at berth number two at 18:00,” it added.
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The Telegram channel is operated by Oleksandr Talipov, a pro-Putin blogger based in Crimea who was charged with hate speech and “nation-based enmity against Ukrainian citizens” in 2022.
“After the strike detonations began, the cargo was completely destroyed, the ship sank,” Talipov alleged.
Soprotivlenie, another pro-war Telegram channel, said that the cargo ship also carried other Western military cargo, namely “radars and launch containers of ATACMS missiles.”
Former president Joe Biden had authorized Zelensky to use US-made ATACMS missiles to strike deeper into Russia last year after Putin’s forces ramped up attacks against Kyiv.
While purported pictures of the alleged missile strike emerged online, none of the Telegram channels provided any evidence of the ship carrying military cargo or the damage caused to the ship.
“No information was immediately available as to what the vessel was carrying, or the extent of the damage,” The Kyiv Independent reported.