Russia blames Ukrainian naval drones as tanker sinks in Mediterranean

Russia blames Ukrainian naval drones as tanker sinks in Mediterranean 17 minutes ago Share Save Jaroslav Lukiv Share Save A Russian LNG gas tanker has sunk in the Mediterranean between Libya and Malta after it was hit by explosions and a fire, Libyan port officials have said. Russia has accused Ukraine of targeting the Arctic Metagaz with "uncrewed sea drones" launched from the Libyan coast. Ukraine's SBU state security service has not commented on the allegation and the Libyan port authority said the cause of the fire was unknown. The Libyans said the tanker was carrying about 62,000 metric tonnes of LNG before the blasts and that it sank about 130 nautical miles (240km) north of the Libyan port of Sirte. Russia's transport ministry said 30 Russians were on board the Arctic Metagaz and Maltese Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said they were all found "safe and sound in a lifeboat" during a rescue operation by Malta's armed forces. Unverified night-time footage has emerged purportedly showing the ship ablaze after the attack on Tuesday. Serhii Sternenko, a popular blogger and adviser to Ukraine's defence minister, posted pictures on Wednesday morning of what he said was the tanker in the Mediterranean, which had a "serious hole in the engine room compartment and is beyond repair". He did not elaborate where the pictures came from and they have not been independently verified. "This is a terrorist attack," Russia's Vladimir Putin told state TV. "This isn't the first time we've encountered something like this." Russia's transport ministry called it "an act of international terrorism and maritime piracy", singling out the European Union for complicity. Moscow said the Arctic Metagaz - en route from Russia's northern port of Murmansk - was carrying cargo cleared in accordance with international rules. The tanker was apparently heading for Port Said in Egypt and is considered part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet. It has been widely sanctioned by Western countries...