Sanctioned Russian ship used to transport equipment to Syria sinks at sea
Out of the 16 onboard the Ursa Major, a vessel sanctioned by the US and under surveillance by Ukraine, 14 have been rescued
A Russian cargo ship, Ursa Major, sank near the shores of Algeria and Spain in the Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that "the ship sank after an explosion in the engine room," and that 14 out of 16 crew members had been rescued.
Ship tracking data show that the ship left the port of St. Petersburg in Russia about two weeks ago. The ship was last recorded sending a signal on Monday at around 8:00 pm. The Russian ship has been under American sanctions since 2022, accused of transporting military equipment for Russian soldiers stationed in Syria.
On Monday, the Ukrainian military intelligence reported that "the Russian cargo ship, sent by Russia to transfer weapons and equipment back from Syria, broke down off the coast of Portugal. The fuel pipe of the main engine failed." The photo attached by the Ukrainian intelligence, showed an old photo of the ship, which was then called Sparta. Another Russian ship, called Sparta, is currently operating in the Middle East and was seen nearby.
In this context, the Russian news site Meduza, quoting analysts, claimed that it might be part of a Russian fleet transporting military equipment from Syria, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, but this information arrives without official verification.