Russian drone strikes Turkish cargo ship; casualties among crew

Russian forces have struck a Turkish cargo ship with a drone, causing a large fire. Part of the crew has been rescued, but casualties have been recorded among the sailors, according to the Ukrainian Navy.

A Russian drone hit the Turkish-owned cargo vessel VICTRESS, sailing under the Panamanian flag. There were nine crew members on board, who are citizens of Egypt, Turkey, and India.

"Given the difficult situation and the risk of the fire spreading further, crews of Ukrainian Navy boats successfully conducted a rescue operation to evacuate the cargo vessel's crew. Sadly, there were casualties among them," the Ukrainian Navy said.

The Ukrainian Navy did not provide further details but released photographs showing the fire aboard the cargo ship and the rescued sailors.