The escalation takes place amid continuing attacks by the Ukrainian military on the positions of the DPR and LPR and following the start of a Russian special operation aimed at protecting the Donbass republics.
Two civilian ships sailing under the Russian flag were hit by Ukrainian missile strikes in the Sea of Azov, the Russian border service in the Kuban region has stated.
“At 11am [8am GMT] on 24 February, 2022, Russian civilian cargo ships SGV-FLOT and SERAPHIM SAROVSKIY were subjected to a missile attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the waters of the Sea of Azov. The missiles were fired from Mariupol”, the border service reported.
The missile attack damaged the cargo ship SGV-FLOT igniting fires on board. One member of its crew sustained serious injuries, the border service reported.
