In the Black Sea, a civilian vessel under the flag of Panama was blown up by a Russian mine

A bulk carrier loaded with grain, flying the Panamanian flag, blew up on a Russian sea mine in the Black Sea. The civilian ship was heading to one of the Danube ports.

This was reported by the Southern Defense Forces.

After the detonation, the ship lost speed and control, and a fire broke out on the upper deck. The captain fixed the ship on the ground so that it would not sink.

Boats of the Maritime Guard and Search and Rescue Service assisted the crew and brought medics on board. Two sailors were injured. One sailor was treated on the spot, and the second was transported to the nearest hospital. His condition is satisfactory.

Tugs were sent to the bulk carrier to remove it from the ground and bring it to the port.

After Russiaʼs withdrawal from the "grain agreement" in July 2023, Ukraine created a "grain corridor" in the Black Sea, which has already transported more than seven million tons of cargo. The Kremlin then threatened that all vessels bound for Ukrainian ports were legitimate military targets as potential carriers of military cargo. After that, Russia began massively shelling the infrastructure of southern Ukraine (only from July to September 2023, the Russian Federation destroyed 280 000 tons of grain in the Danube ports). Ukraine has agreed with Western allies on the delivery of military boats to protect vessels moving along the "grain corridor" in the Black Sea.

• Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria are ready for an agreement on demining the Black Sea. It is planned to be signed on January 11 in Istanbul. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the Romanian, Bulgarian and Turkish militaries have regularly defused mines drifting in their waters in the Black Sea. In October, Bloomberg wrote that the countries are discussing a joint project on demining the sea. Countries can create a joint unit. The project itself is not a NATO operation.