Posted on 03/03/2022 6:47:26 AM PST by marcusmaximus
An Estonian-owned cargo ship has been sunk off the coast of Ukraine after hitting a mine.
Four crew members are still missing and two are in a life raft at sea following the explosion near Odeasa.
Igor Ilves, managing director of Tallinn-based manager Vista Shipping Agency, said the ship likely struck a mine, adding: 'The vessel has finally sunk. Two of the crew are in a raft on the water and four others are missing. I don't know where they are at the moment.'
Estonia is a member of NATO and the EU, and while an official reason has yet to be given for the blast, the possibility that it was the result of a mine risks further destabilising an already explosive situation in Eastern Europe.
The 37-year-old Helt was flying under the Panamanian flag, like many merchant ships who wish to avoid their own countries' strict marine regulations.
It comes after the Russian Black Sea Fleet was accused of using civilian vessels including the Helt as human shields in the invasion of Ukraine.
The military said the Russian Navy forced the Helt to enter a dangerous zone of the Black Sea to cover the movement of its own warships.
Ukraine's armed forces said: 'For the safety of civil navigation, the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine closed navigation in the north-western part of the Black Sea.
'At the same time, the Russian Black Sea Fleet continues the tactics of Russian ground forces trying to hide behind civilian lives.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
That does it. Nuke Russia!
What?
No sign on the stern saying “Baby Milk Supply”?
Or “Asprin Factory Inc”?
This is the kind of chaos that can lead to expanding war.
False flag.
ping
Not a false flag. Ukrainians shelled a number of cargo ships mistaken for the Russian and mined the shore to prevent amphibious landig.
Sadly, a lot of merchant ships aren’t designed to withstand the type of military sea mines used by the Russians and Americans. As such, small ones tend to sink rather easily.
daily mail is just globalist garbage.
I’m surprised you haven’t been banned yet for posting fake news.
What was it carrying that the risk vs reward made it worth trying to deliver into a hot zone?
Russians hate us with the power of thousand suns and that’s because they know that we know who they really are.
This was most probably not targeted. They are being reckless and now their invasion is also sinking ships, but I don’t think they did it because it was an Estonian ship.
Putin has said 100 times that he wants his Evil Empire back. That’s what he is doing now having taken over Belarus and trying to take over Ukraine next.
Too many people in the West want to stay in their safe cocoons and say “He is just joking”. He is not!
The ship was possibly one of those caught in Odessa when the war broke out, and was attempting to leave - if I were a shipowner I wouldn’t want it in Odessa. There were several vessels attacked en route or attempting to leave. This is the first one sunk.
Agreed. You know and aren’t shy about telling us.
Agreed. Mines are indiscriminate and mindless, with some minimal influence on what shipping is destroyed by placement.
Agreed. We ignore his stated goal at our peril.
Agreed. *sigh*
Patton wanted to keep going through Germany and knock the Ruskies out. But the commies in the Roosevelt administration nixed that. And then Patton was eliminated. The Ruskies couldn’t withstand the full might of the USA. The problem was “leadership “.
The Black Sea should be Renamed the Russian Lake.
FDR gave away the store to the Russians at Potsdam and Yalta.
He is the reason we are where we are now.
Wonder what Loyds of London is doing right now.
You agitate with the same playbook as any leftist. You use the same vocabulary, rhetoric, and ideology. It is very telling.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.