Russian Defence Ministry's claim of inspection of Sukru Okan vessel not officially confirmed

The Russian Defence Ministry’s statement about the alleged inspection of the Sukru Okan vessel in the Black Sea has not been officially confirmed by anyone else.

Source: Natalia Humeniuk, head of the joint press centre of the Southern Defence Forces of Ukraine on the air of the joint national 24/7 newscast

Quote: "The message that was made today exclusively by the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation has not been confirmed by any other official sources. I believe that we should pay attention to this and keep in mind the peculiarities of hybrid warfare. When there are some events in which several participants are involved, there must be an official point of view from one, the second, and the third party – all those who were involved.

To date, we have only one thing – a demonstration of aggression by the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. They are trying their best to denote their dominance in the Black Sea. Allegedly they are able to stop the ship, raise the aircraft, and they will not be sanctioned for this kind of stop-and-search, but today this version has not been confirmed by anyone else.

Can we trust the aggressor country? As one of their speakers says, ‘I don't think so’. We must understand that the information war continues as powerfully as the artillery fire."

Details: At the same time, Humeniuk believes that this situation is a signal for every civilian vessel in the Black Sea.

"They [the Russians – ed.] are ready to use all the capacities that they demonstrated during the exercises. It should be understood that those transport and navigation corridors that exist today should be under an international guarantee," she stressed.

Background: The Russian Defence Ministry said that in the small hours of 13 August, a Russian ship reportedly opened "warning" fire on the Sukru Okan, a bulk carrier which was heading for the port of Izmail in Odesa Oblast, Ukraine, under the flag of Palau, then an inspection of the ship was allegedly conducted. The incident took place in the Black Sea. 

However, InformNapalm, an international intelligence community, says that the Russians have lied that the inspection of the Sukru Okan cargo ship in the Black Sea was successful, and that warning shots were fired.

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