RTFri, 25 Nov 2016 15:28 UTC
© SputnikThe anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ship Vice Admiral Kulakov
The Russian antisubmarine ship 'Vice-Admiral Kulakov' was the first to help out a Ukrainian ship in distress in a part of the Mediterranean with "intensive naval traffic," the Russian Ministry of Defense has said.
Ukrainian fishing vessel No. 097 had been drifting in the waters for two days, and help came from the Russians on Thursday.
"The military vessel of the Russian naval fleet was the first to respond to a distress call from the Ukrainian sailors who had been drifting for two days in an area of intensive naval traffic," the ministry told TASS, adding that "the crew of the Ukrainian vessel thanked the Russian officers for their help."
There were seven Ukrainian citizens on board, and two of them were injured.
The captain asked the Russian crew to tow the Ukrainian ship to get help. One of the Ukrainian crew members was provided with medical help on board the Russian ship.The 'Vice-Admiral Kulakov' towed the Ukrainian vessel to rescue service ships near the island of Gavdos near Crete, where rescuers tended to the fishing ship.
The operation was complicated by four-point sea disturbance, squalls, as well as a thunderstorm.
Comment: Interesting to note that this humanitarian aid occurs in the midst of Kiev's continued belligerence, racism and outright skullduggery towards Russia!
Update: The Ukrainian side is
grateful to the crew of the Russian anti-submarine ship The 'Vice-Admiral Kulakov' for rescuing fishing boat 097 and its crew members, who had found themselves in distress in the Mediterranean earlier this week, a senior official of Ukraine's Mariupol fishing port has told:
"Naturally, we are grateful to Russians for rescuing our people," the port's official said on the condition of anonymity. Fishing boat 097, registered at the Mariupol fishing port, is a small one - 32 meters long and 6.5 meters wide.
"I don't know what problems they had. According to some reports, a cable went out of order. It is most important that the people are alive," he said.
In the meantime, the Russian Defense Ministry has published a video showing the Ukrainian boat's captain saying that the boat had been adrift in the Mediterranean for two days due to a failed engine.
"During the storm some water got into the engine. Then it started emitting black smoke and we heard the valves clank. The boat stopped. We've been adrift here for two days," he told Russian officers who arrived on board by motor boat.
One of the crew members had apparently had a thumb inured.
"We do have enough water and food," the Ukrainian captain added. Also, he had a telephone conversation with the mainland from The 'Vice-Admiral Kulakov's' control room.
Comment: Interesting to note that this humanitarian aid occurs in the midst of Kiev's continued belligerence, racism and outright skullduggery towards Russia!