As a result of the strike of the Ukrainian Navy on the Russian tug Vasily Bekh, 70% of the crew were hit, the fate of the rest is unknown. This is reported by the operational command "South".

“Despite being equipped with the Tor anti-aircraft missile system, the tugboat has been turned into a floating fire. According to preliminary data, 70% of the crew were affected, the fate of the rest is unknown. Enemy ships are trying to conduct a search and rescue operation, ”the command said in a statement.

According to Dumskaya, there were 33 people on board the tug: 23 were injured, 10 were missing. Strana.UA, citing open sources, writes that the crew of the vessel is 26 people.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the ship had been hit on the morning of June 17. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has not yet commented on this information.

The tug transported Russian sailors, weapons and ammunition, including the Tor anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) to the temporarily occupied Snake Island.

Earlier, the command of the Ukrainian Navy reported that the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet withdrew to a distance of more than 100 km from the coastline of Ukraine. This happened two weeks after it became known about the supply of American Harpoon anti-ship missiles to Ukraine. According to Kyiv, Russia keeps about 30 ships and submarines in the Black Sea, providing a blockade of the coast and Ukrainian ports. However, the Russian fleet has lost full control over the northwestern part of the Black Sea area. According to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov, the coastal defense of Ukraine will be strengthened with these weapons.

Ukraine has already used cruise missiles against the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. On April 13, the Ukrainian side announced that it had fired Neptune anti-ship missiles at the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, the cruiser Moskva. On April 14, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the death of the Moskva during towing to the port. Shortly before this, the department claimed that the cruiser "detonated ammunition", resulting in a fire. The Russian authorities are hiding information about the number of those who died during the flooding of the Moscow, among which were conscripts.