Russian forces have attacked two civilian boats belonging to the Maritime Search and Rescue Service that were carrying out a humanitarian mission within the Ukrainian sea corridor, the ministry for development of communities and territories of Ukraine said in a statement on Telegram.
“Unfortunately, there are casualties. Evacuation by boats of the Ukrainian navy is underway,” the statement of the ministry reads.
In accordance with the Ukrainian ministry, small coastal search and rescue vessels are under special protection of international humanitarian law.
In particular, article 27 of the Second Geneva Convention of 1949 explicitly provides for the protection of vessels used by a state or officially recognized rescue organizations exclusively for search and rescue operations and to assist people at sea.
“This attack is yet another proof of Russia’s deliberate disregard for the norms of international law and poses a direct threat to the safe operation of humanitarian sea corridors in the Black Sea,” the ministry emphasized.
