Russia faced a grave mishap during its Baltic Navy drills, leading to the accidental sinking of one of its own ships by a missile strike. The unfortunate event resulted in the loss of three crew members' lives and injuries to four others, as reported by local media sources.
The incident occurred on March 19, during an exercise involving the Baltic Fleet. A misfired missile tragically struck the trawler Captain Lobanov, as reported by the independent television channel TV Rain (Dozhd), which cited information from a relative of one of the crew members. The attack not only claimed lives but also obliterated the captain's cabin, bringing to light the severity of the blunder.
The former Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs in Ukraine, Anton Gerashchenko, has shared a video on the social media platform X, showing the boat that was hit by the missile.
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Initial reports from authorities suggested that the incident was caused by a "fire" on the ship, mentioning only a single casualty. However, details shared with TV Rain revealed a different story, indicating that the truth about the missile strike and the actual number of casualties was known among the survivors and rescuers. Yet, the official narrative was shaped around the occurrence of a "fire."
Survivors of the incident were transported to a hospital in Pionersk, with one individual reported to be in serious condition.
Following the event, it was claimed that officers from Russia's Federal Security Service conducted interrogations with the crew members, explicitly instructing them to remain silent about the circumstances of the incident.
I am sad for the loss of life.