Russian vessel attacked off Mozambique coast: What we know so far
Illustrative photo (t.me nexta live)
The Government of Mozambique announced the start of an investigation into a possible attack on the Russian oceanographic vessel Atlantis. The incident occurred on May 10 near the country's northern coast, informs the Club of Mozambique.
"At this moment, the investigations are ongoing and as soon as there are concrete results and we confirm what happened, the government will, with full transparency, provide clarifications to the public and the international community," said government spokesman Inocêncio Impissa.
The attack reportedly targeted the Russian vessel, a fact confirmed on May 16 by an official source at the Russian Embassy in Maputo.
According to the source, the 62-meter ship was conducting marine research and was returning to Maputo when the attack occurred around 3 PM local time on May 10. The assault happened more than three miles off the coast of Tambuzi Island in the Quirimbas archipelago.
"It was attacked by two unknown vessels, which did not make contact with the ship, but opened fire on it," the source explained.
Impissa told journalists that the government has not yet received an official report from the Russian Embassy about the incident. However, he added that Mozambique is already investigating the possibility of an attack. He stressed the government’s commitment to security in its territorial waters.
"The Defence and Security Forces are already closely monitoring the information released and broadcast through the media and have opened an investigation process to determine with the utmost rigor the veracity of the facts of the attack and the circumstances," Impissa said.
He also emphasized that Mozambique is treating this matter seriously and cautiously.
Local sources are already linking the incident to attacks by terrorist groups operating in the region. If confirmed, this would be the first case of this kind.
Incident with the Russian vessel
Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reported that a Russian ship from the shadow fleet was conducting suspicious maneuvers near an electric cable connecting Poland and Sweden.
Additionally, Ukraineэs Defense Intelligence reported that the Russian shadow fleet now numbers up to 1,000 vessels, mostly outdated. Their total deadweight exceeds 100 million tons. These ships are involved in exporting oil and oil products.
