The Russian container ship Yanina, owned by the transport group FESCO, sank in the Black Sea overnight into August 1, according to Alexei Likhachev, head of the state nuclear corporation Rosatom. Likhachev said the vessel was attacked by two Ukrainian naval drones about 130 nautical miles (roughly 240 km) from the port of Novorossiysk. Rosatom said the Yanina was carrying civilian cargo, from frozen food to construction materials, and called the incident "piracy and maritime robbery." There was no independent confirmation of the circumstances of the sinking.
All 17 crew members were rescued. Sixteen sailors were picked up overnight by the container ship Delphinus, and one more was found in the morning by naval aviation of the Black Sea Fleet. The rescued sailors were reported to be in satisfactory condition.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the vessel had been hit. He said "medium-range strikes" were carried out overnight and hits were recorded in the Black and Azov Seas, and that the container ship Yanina, sailing under the Russian flag, had sunk. The Ukrainian side has not officially commented on the incident.
The Insider analyzed data from the Starboard Intelligence service, which showed that in recent months the Yanina regularly sailed between India, ports of the Red and Mediterranean Seas, and Novorossiysk, where it was in early May and late June. The ship transmitted its last signal on July 31 at 16:11 Moscow time, while in the central Black Sea about 275 km from Novorossiysk, moving at about 26 km/h. The destination port was not listed in the open navigation system; instead, it showed "FOR ORDERS."