Russia Attacks Two Civilian Search-and-Rescue Ships in the Black Sea

Russia attacked two Maritime Search and Rescue Service boats conducting a humanitarian mission within Ukraine’s maritime corridor in the Black Sea.

Oleksii Kuleba, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister for Reconstruction and Minister for Communities and Territories Development, reported the incident.

There are casualties from the attack, and the Ukrainian Navy is currently evacuating the affected personnel.

Small coastal search-and-rescue vessels are afforded special protection under international humanitarian law. In particular, Article 27 of the Second Geneva Convention of 1949 explicitly provides protection for vessels used by the state or officially recognized rescue organizations solely for conducting search-and-rescue operations and providing assistance to people at sea.

“This attack is further evidence of Russia’s deliberate disregard for international law and poses a direct threat to the safe operation of humanitarian maritime corridors in the Black Sea,” the Minister emphasized.

In May, Russian forces attacked at least two UN warehouses in Ukraine with ballistic missiles – one belonging to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and another to the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

“Over the past 18 months, WFP has recorded more than 84 incidents affecting its warehouses, vehicles, aid distribution points, and the property of local humanitarian partners across Ukraine,” Richard Ragan, WFP’s representative in Ukraine, reported.