Daniel Wolfram
This is not the first time that Ukraine has reportedly attacked a sanctioned Russian fleet.
A video circulating online shows a Russian cargo ship under fire in the Mediterranean.
Fire burst across the deck as drones slammed into the hull. The attack left the vessel burning in open water.
Click to display external content from t.co,
- You can always enable and disable third-party content.
You agree to display external third-party content. Personal data may be sent to the provider of the content and other third-party services.
Ukrainian drones hit Russian ship
Russian journalist Alexander Nevzorov posted the footage on September 6. He reported that the cargo ship, named Lady Maria, was struck 12 times during the overnight raid.
According to Nevzorov, the attack drones were launched from Libya. He added that the ship was carrying Iranian weapons and armored vehicles, which were to be delivered to Russian forces.
Neither Ukrainian authorities nor independent observers have confirmed who carried out the strike or what was on board.
Tracking the cargo
Route logs show the Lady Maria departing the Algerian port of Oran before venturing deeper into Mediterranean shipping lanes.
Satellite records placed the ship near Sicily shortly before reports of the attack surfaced. Earlier position data showed it passing Crete on a heading toward Syria.
The ship is no stranger to international blacklists. The United States previously sanctioned the vessel under its former name, Stella-Maria, over its connections to a Russian shipping firm. Ukraine followed suit and deemed it an illegal ship in May this year.
Ukrainian defense intelligence has long tracked the ship as a key military asset moving heavy weapons between Tartus in Syria and Novorossiysk in Russia.
