The event occurred subsequent to the failure of an agreement that guaranteed the continuation of Ukrainian grain exports.
The Russian Defence Ministry reported that a cargo ship bound for the port of Izmail in southern Ukraine was shot at by armed vessels on Sunday.
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The ministry stated on Telegram that a Russian warship had used light automatic weapons to shoot down the ship and force it to stop.
The Sukru Okan, the flagged vessel from Palau, was under investigation by Moscow for not responding to a request to stop for an inspection of the transport of prohibited goods.
The same source said a helicopter, with Russian military personnel on board, then left to inspect the ship and was safely allowed to continue its journey to the Ukrainian port.
The news of the encounter coincides with Ukraine’s registration of ships that are willing to use a secure “humanitarian corridor” in the Black Sea, which it hopes will enable trapped cargo ships to embark on their journey.
The plan’s acceptance or rejection by Russia is still uncertain.
The bottleneck phenomenon occurs.
The river port of Izmail, situated in the Odessa region, has become a primary entry point for Ukrainian agricultural products following Moscow’s termination of grain export agreements.
Despite the Russian blockade, Moscow abandoned the deal that had permitted Ukrainian grain to leave southern ports since last summer in mid-July.
Moscow issued a warning on 19 July, stating that any ship travelling to or from Ukrainian ports could be targeted. Kiev responded by claiming the same fate for Russian vessels the following day.
The number of attacks on both sides of the Black Sea has risen since then, and the Russian army has targeted Odessa, a significant port in southern Ukraine, as well as the river ports of Izmal and Reni multiple times, which Kiev has denounced as attempting to impede its exports.
Ukraine smashed through the Russian port of Novorossiysk and several Russian vessels in the Black Sea, including an oil tanker.