IN statement published on the X platform, the British Ministry of Defense announced that the attack in the Black Sea took place on September 11 this year. The ship hit by the Russian missile turned out to be the MS Aya, transporting over 26 tons of grain to Egypt.
Russia (most likely) accidentally shot at the grain ship
According to the British Ministry of Defense, the attack on MS Aya was probably accidental because the Russians are using aging ammunition and are inaccurate when aiming. However, the attack on the Black Sea coast is not surprising, because Russia is trying to, among other things, disrupt Ukrainian exports.
“Following the loss of the Backfire bomber in April this year, Russia has almost certainly become more cautious in its operations in the Black Sea. It is possible that this incident occurred because the pilots hastily identified the MS Aya as their target because they wanted to leave the area immediately after the missile was fired because they were afraid that they might be hit by a Ukrainian missile,” explained the British Ministry of Defense.
Controversial missiles used by Russia have been identified
The British Ministry of Defense also reported that the ship was most likely hit by an AS-4 Kitchen anti-ship missile, which was previously fired from a Russian Tu-22M3 Backfire bomber. The plane was said to be in the area at the time of the attack.
The British emphasized that during the war in Ukraine, Kitchen missiles have repeatedly shown that their results are worse than they actually should be. “Firing supersonic cruise missiles on an incorrect course against a possibly incorrect target in international waters demonstrates extremely poor and irresponsible aviation practices,” the ministry concluded.