Russian missile attacks cargo ship suspected of carrying British weapons to Ukraine
Russian authorities have ordered a missile strike to sink a cargo ship amid unconfirmed allegations from Moscow that the vessel was carrying British weapons destined for Ukraine.
Two Iskander-M ballistic missiles attacked the Panama-flagged MSC LEVANTE F, believed to be Swiss-owned, shortly after it docked at the port of Odessa on March 1, following a transit in Türkiye.
According to Ukrainian media, the attack injured two port workers and damaged infrastructure at the port of Odessa.
The attack comes as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders to discuss Ukraine’s future on March 1, local time. The meeting followed a tense exchange between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the White House on February 28.
"In Turkey, the ship received additional containers in two colors, red and yellow, allegedly containing British maritime drones and weapons from a NATO base in Turkey. When the ship arrived at the port of Odessa, it was hit by two missiles at berth number two at 6 p.m.," the Russian Telegram channel Talipov Online said.
However, this claim was refuted by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba, who insisted that the ship was carrying purely civilian cargo.
On the same day, March 1, the UK announced a new loan worth 2.6 billion pounds ($2.85 billion) for Ukraine to strengthen its military capabilities.
The loan will be repaid with profits from Russian assets frozen by the European Union (EU) under sanctions.
The British government confirmed that this is London's contribution to the "Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Loan" (ERA) program of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized countries for Ukraine, through which the G7 countries will provide 50 billion USD to support Ukraine.
In a statement, British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said a strong Ukraine was essential to Britain's national security. This funding will strengthen Ukraine's armed forces and put Ukraine in the strongest possible position at a critical time in the conflict. The latest loan agreement comes on top of the UK's £3bn-a-year military aid commitment to Ukraine.
The funding will be disbursed in three equal tranches, earmarked for the purchase of military equipment to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities. The first disbursement is expected next week.
The British government's announcement came after a number of MPs from cross-party groups in the UK on March 1 called for the seizure of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, following the breakdown in US-Ukraine relations during the meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump on February 28.