The commander of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy has been заочно (in absentia) charged with suspicion for ordering the seizure of the Ukrainian civilian search and rescue vessel "Sapphire," which was evacuating wounded and dead in the area of Snake Island. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General on Friday, according to UNN.
Details
"The Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office in absentia notified the commander of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Armed Forces of suspicion of violating the laws and customs of war, committed by a group of persons in prior conspiracy (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)," the post states.
As indicated, on February 26, 2022, while still serving as Chief of Staff - First Deputy Commander of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia, the Russian admiral ordered the seizure of the Ukrainian search and rescue vessel "Sapphire," which was performing a humanitarian mission - the evacuation of wounded and dead from the area of Snake Island.
The vessel, as reported, had no weapons, and the captain communicated the peaceful nature of the mission via international radio.
"Russian ships forcibly stopped the 'Sapphire' in the open sea. On board were 17 crew members and 4 civilian mission participants, including a doctor and a priest. Russian military personnel conducted a search, confiscated mobile phones and personal belongings, forcibly held civilians in locked rooms, and threatened them with weapons," the prosecutor's office reported.
After the seizure of the vessel "Sapphire," as noted by the prosecutor's office, "the admiral personally arrived at the temporarily occupied Snake Island," where he interrogated the captain regarding possible cooperation with the Ukrainian military and the SBU.
Despite knowing the humanitarian nature of the mission, he did not cancel the illegal detention of the civilian crew, the prosecutor's office noted. Later, the vessel with 21 civilians was forcibly transported to occupied Crimea, and then to Russia. The people were released only as part of an exchange in March-May 2022, along with the return of the vessel.
Earlier, suspicions were also announced against the commander of the reconnaissance ship "Equator" and the captain of the rescue and tug vessel "Shakhtar" of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation for cruel treatment of the "Sapphire" crew.