Russian attacks beyond Ukraine have heightened fears that the war could spread across Europe, after a civilian vessel sank in Romania’s section of the Black Sea and Moldova reported that Russian weapons had violated its airspace.
Two people died and 11 were rescued after the Turkish-owned ship caught fire and sank on Monday. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed the incident on two Russian drones, although the source of the attack has not been confirmed.
“A horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel in neutral waters carrying corn and owned by Turkiye,” Mr Zelensky said.
He accused Moscow of choosing “terror and sinking civilian vessels instead of normal maritime navigation”, adding that pressure was needed to protect global food security and restore safety in the Black Sea.
The incident would be the latest alleged Russian incursion into Romanian territory this year. Romania summoned Russia’s ambassador in July after three drones were intercepted over the course of one week, while a drone had earlier struck an apartment building in Galati, near the Moldovan border.
Russian attacks raise concerns over NATO response
Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on Saturday that the conflict was “dangerously reaching” her country after a series of airspace incursions.
“Five Russian air attack weapons, including Banderol missiles and drones, violated our airspace and exploded on our soil,” she said. “Moscow is putting lives at risk across Europe and must be stopped.”
The recent drone and low-cost missile strikes have raised fears that a NATO member could invoke Article 5, under which an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all. Any decision to provide assistance would require an emergency meeting and unanimous agreement among the alliance’s 32 members.
Russia has continued its attacks inside Ukraine, where at least six people were killed and Kyiv’s Northern Bridge was damaged. Traffic was suspended, creating tailbacks for a third day after earlier assaults caused the full or partial closure of three of the capital’s six road bridges over the Dnipro River.
Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said the strike damaged the road surface and trolleybus cables. He later reported that two people had been wounded, with one briefly taken to hospital.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it would continue carrying out “mass retaliatory strikes” on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, and urged foreign nationals and diplomats to leave the country. Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed responsibility for the latest attack, claiming the bridge was used for troop movements and military cargo deliveries.
In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, drone and guided-bomb attacks on Friday and into Saturday killed five people and wounded more than 40, according to regional head Oleh Syniehubov. Three people were also wounded in nearby Izyum, where strikes hit an industrial warehouse and damaged homes.
Ukrainian drone strikes in Russia’s Belgorod region killed one civilian and wounded two others in villages close to the Ukrainian border, local authorities said.
