Ukrainian Navy rescues foreign crew after Russian drone strike kills Egyptian cook
Russian drones struck two civilian merchant vessels bound for Ukrainian ports overnight into Monday, killing a 58-year-old Egyptian cook and forcing the evacuation of the rest of the crew, Ukraine’s Navy reported.
Ukraine’s minister for communities and territories development, Oleksii Kuleba, said the Russian strike caused a fire aboard a Panama-flagged vessel. The Navy later identified it as the dry cargo ship VICTRESS, owned by a Turkish company.
The dead crew member was a 58-year-old Egyptian citizen who worked as the ship’s cook. Eight other sailors, including citizens of Türkiye and India, were successfully evacuated by a rescue vessel.
The ship was left unseaworthy and sustained serious damage, the Navy said.
Kuleba said Russian forces also attacked vessels flying the flags of Palau and Belize that same night.
“This incident once again shows that the Russian Federation continues to violate international maritime law and create threats to civilian shipping,” the Ukrainian Navy said.