A Russian warship opened fire on a cargo vessel travelling to the Ukrainian port of Izmail, the Kremlin has said.
The Vasily Bykov, part of the Black Sea Fleet, detected a ship flying under the flag of Palau at around 6:40am Moscow time.
Warning shots were fired on the Sukra Okan when it did not stop for an inspection to check for “prohibited goods”, according to Russia’s defence ministry.
Russian troops were then flown by helicopter to the vessel, which was said to have been allowed to continue on its journey afterwards.
It comes after Moscow withdrew from the Black Sea deal, a UN-brokered agreement that allowed the safe export of grain from Ukrainian ports.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence warned last month that Russia would begin attacking or intercepting merchant ships in the Black Sea as a result.
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