Putin accuses Ukraine of terrorism, after the sinking of a Russian ship in the Mediterranean. “Bite the hand that feeds”

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused Ukraine of committing a “terrorist attack” after the attack by naval drones on a Russian LNG carrier that sank in the Mediterranean between Malta and Libya.

“It's a terrorist attack. It's not the first time we've faced something like this. But now the only surprising thing is that it worsens the situation on the international energy markets, including the gas markets, primarily for Europe,” Putin said on Russian state television, referring to the rise in oil and especially gas prices following the war started by the United States and Israel against Iran, France Presse and Agerpres note.

“The Kiev regime is actually biting the hand that feeds it, that is, the hand of the European Union,” Putin noted.

The drones, launched from the coast of Libya

The Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz, loaded with liquefied natural gas (LNG), was struck by naval drones apparently launched off the coast of Libya, a failed state divided between two rival governments each in different territories that neither fully controls.

The Russian ship, put by the EU on its sanctions list after the invasion of Ukraine, had left the Russian port of Murmansk to an unclear destination. Media sources state that the methane tanker was heading to Egypt, a country which, however, denied the information.

Following the impact with the surface drones, the tanker caught fire and eventually sank, but the crew members, all Russian, were rescued.

Ukraine has not yet commented on this topic.