The Admiral of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was informed of suspicion over the seizure of a civilian vessel near Zmiinyi

Investigators have announced the suspicion of the Vice Admiral of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, involved in a war crime against the civilian crew of the vessel “Sapfir”.

This was reported by the press service of the National Police of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, during a humanitarian mission in February 2022, the “Sapfir” was heading to Zmiinyi Island to evacuate wounded and dead Ukrainian military personnel. There were 21 civilians on board, including a doctor and a clergyman.

Despite the absence of weapons and military personnel on the ship, the crew was forcibly captured by the Russian military on the orders of the then Chief of Staff of the Black Sea Fleet. The prisoners were held in inhumane conditions without food and water, under constant threat of violence.

The Vice Admiral personally arrived at the temporarily occupied Zmiinyi, ordered the interrogation of the captain, trying to establish possible connections of the crew with the SBU or the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and supervised the illegal detention of civilians. Later, he gave the order for their transfer to the temporarily occupied Crimea.

The release of the crew members became possible only during the exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.

The defendant faces up to 12 years in prison for committing a war crime.

Also, as USM recently wrote, Romania suspects that the contamination of oil from Azerbaijan may be a Russian sabotage.