Russia’s Investigative Committee (Sledcom) released video on Monday showing the wreckage of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker it said was hit by Ukrainian drones in the Mediterranean Sea.
According to investigators, the Russian-flagged ship Arctic Metagaz was targeted by drones and seaplanes on March 3 between the coasts of Malta and Libya. The ship suffered “major damage” and caught fire, with its control systems and two LNG storage tanks destroyed. Two workers were injured.
Sledcom treats the incident as a terrorist act, spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said.
The ship, which was traveling from the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk to China, had been authorized by the EU.
Although Kiev has not commented on the alleged attack on the Arctic Metagaz, Ukrainian security officials have previously claimed responsibility for similar attacks on Russian-linked vessels in the Black and Mediterranean seas. Last year, Ukraine’s Ministry of Security told the Kyiv Post that its drones had hit two oil tankers off the coast of Turkey.
Russia has denied conducting what is known “shadow ships” bypassing Western sanctions and condemning attacks against ships as an escalation of the conflict.
You can share this story on social networks:
Follow RT on
