A Turkish ship was struck by a bomb off the coast of Odessa in Ukraine after Vladimir Putin launched an ‘onslaught on the free and sovereign nation’.
There were no casualties and it is safely en route into Romanian waters, Turkey’s Maritime General Directorate said.
“Upon information that the Marshall Islands-flagged Turkish-owned Yasa Jupiter ship was struck by a bomb off the coast of Odessa, it was learned that the ship has no request for help, is en route to Romanian waters, has no casualties and is safe,” the authority said on Twitter.
But the incident is likely to add to mounting fears that Nato could be eventually forced to wage a defensive war against Russia.
The alliance has ruled out military action as Ukraine is not a member, but Turkey is one of the 30 countries in Nato.