Moscow suspended the ferry link between southern Russia and Crimea after a Ukrainian attack the previous day hit a ship loaded with railway wagons carrying fuel, Russia's transport ministry said on Friday, as quoted by the BBC.
Ukraine's navy said on Friday it had destroyed a ferry in the port of Kavkaz in Russia's Krasnodar region, one of Russia's largest outlets to the Black Sea, which it said was being used to deliver fuel and weapons to occupied Crimea peninsula.
The Russian Transport Ministry said in a statement that ferry service to Crimea has been temporarily suspended while clean-up operations are carried out.
In the meantime, an alternative land route can be used to send cargo to Crimea.
State news agency RIA, citing emergency services, said the fire caused by the Ukrainian attack "virtually" has not affected the infrastructure of the port, but that the ferry struck by Ukraine is half submerged.
There were 30 fuel tanks on the ferry in Kavkaz port, local authorities report.
A fire train is involved in putting out the fire.
Careful, the second video is loud. https://t.co/AnKGneCKSD pic.twitter.com /OTda5GZ4sa— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 22, 2024
Local authorities reported earlier that it had sunk.
The ferry was carrying 30 rail cars loaded with fuel, according to Fyodor Babenkov, regional head of the city of Temryuk, where the port is located.
The Russian Emergencies Ministry said on Thursday that 17 people had been rescued after the attack and that one person was unaccounted for.