The vessel had 25 people on board, all of them are citizens of Russia. A total of 21 people were rescued. Nineteen of them were unharmed, while two received minor injuries.
Meanwhile, after South Korea said it would consider providing military support to Ukraine in the event of a significant civilian attack, Russia on April 19 criticized Seoul’s decision and warned the Asian country against sending any lethal aid to Kyiv.
Seoul has given Ukraine non-lethal and humanitarian aid but has so far refrained from providing military assistance.
However, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol recently told Reuters, “If there is a situation the international community cannot condone, such as any large-scale attack on civilians… it might be difficult for us to insist only on humanitarian or financial support.”
In response to this statement by the South Korean President, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said, “There have emerged new enthusiasts eager to help our enemies. South Korean President Yoon Suk-you has said that, in principle, his country is ready to supply the Kyiv regime with weapons.”
Medvedev elaborated, “Until recently, the South Koreans had vehemently assured that any possibility of supplying lethal weapons to Kyiv was completely ruled out.”
“I wonder what the people of that country will say when they see Russia’s latest weapon in the hands of their closest neighbors – our partners in the DPRK (North Korea)?” Medvedev asked. “As they say, quid pro quo,” he described such a situation.
Although the DPRK, popularly known as the North Korean regime, remains under crippling sanctions from the West, Russia has maintained decent relations with Pyongyang, which have only been strengthened after the invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier, a Russian state TV war correspondent said North Korea was preparing to send 500,000 soldiers from its armed forces on combat missions to Russia.
Medvedev added, “The start of arms supplies will indirectly mean a certain stage of involvement in this conflict.”
However, these fiery comments drew flak from Ukraine. Following the remarks made by Medvedev, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry took to the social media networking site Twitter to mock the Russians for their use of outdated weapon systems that have no relevance in modern-day combat.