Rishi Sunak: On August 24, Russia fired several missiles at a civilian ship in the Black Sea

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that Russians fired missiles at civilian ships in the Black Sea on August 24, but Ukrainian air defence repelled the attack.

"Thanks to declassified intelligence, we know the Russian military targeted a civilian cargo ship in the Black Sea with multiple missiles on the 24th of August," Sunak said in an update to parliament on the G20 summit.

The British Foreign Office reported that Russia attacked the Liberian-flagged cargo ship with Kalibr missiles. "Putin is trying to win a war he will not win, and these attacks show just how desperate he is. In targeting cargo ships and Ukrainian infrastructure, Russia is hurting the rest of the world," said Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

On August 16, the first vessel left the port of Odesa through the temporary corridor for merchant ships after Russia withdrew from the grain deal on July 17.

Prior to this, on August 13, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced that it had stopped a ship in the southwestern part of the Black Sea, which was heading for the Ukrainian port of Izmail. At the time, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry condemned Russia's provocations in the Black Sea.