A Moldovan-flagged chemical tanker was hit by a missile in the Black Sea near Ukraine’s port of Odessea today.
Two people were injured by the blast, and it is still unclear who fired at the Millennial Spirit.
Previous media reports suggested the vessel was Romanian – leading to fears that Russia had attacked a NATO member.
But this has since turned out to be false, as Moldova’s naval agency confirmed the ship was from its country – which is not part of the defensive alliance.
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The agency’s deputy director Vadim Pavalachi said the crew of the ship was Russian.
He said: ‘We just heard 10 minutes ago that all the crew were saved but two were seriously injured and are on the way to hospital.’
The tanker is small at 2,200 tonnes and the second commercial vessel to be hit since the invasion began.
Previous reports mistakenly said the Millennial Spirit was Romanian (Picture: Twitter/@DefenceU)
