Estonia-built rescue boats fall prey to Russian drones in Black Sea
Last week, two Ukrainian rescue vessels built at the Baltic Workboats shipyard were hit in the Black Sea while taking part in securing Ukraine's so-called grain corridor, Saarte Hääl reports.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said on June 6 that Russian forces attacked two boats belonging to Ukraine's maritime search and rescue service in the Ukrainian maritime corridor in the Black Sea, according to the news portal United24Media.
According to Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk, the vessels were carrying out search and rescue missions protected under international conventions, but Russian drone operators attacked them nonetheless.
Baltic Workboats project manager and former navy commander Jüri Saska said the shipyard has built four rescue vessels for Ukraine: two smaller ones more than a decade ago and two larger, more modern vessels in 2024 and 2025.
"According to our information, one older and one newer boat were hit," Saska said, adding that there is essentially nothing left to restore, as the vessels have burned and been destroyed.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Marcus Turovski
