Antigua-flagged cargo ship hit in the Black Sea, Ukrainian captain killed; Erdoğan calls ship attacks unacceptable at the UN as the tally reaches 226

According to an Ukrinform report based on a Telegram statement by the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA), an Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship was hit in the Black Sea on the night of 23 September; the Ukrainian Navy put out the fire on board, the crew was evacuated and the captain, a Ukrainian national, was killed. The ship's name was not disclosed. Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, reported that warehouses of medicines, household goods and food in the region were struck in two separate waves the same night. In a statement reported by Euronews, the Russian Defence Ministry said it had struck logistics and energy targets and made no specific statement about the ship; the claim that Russia targeted the vessel therefore rests solely on Ukrainian sources.

According to a France 24 report dated 23 September, President Erdoğan told the UN General Assembly that attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea are unacceptable regardless of who the perpetrator is. According to data from the Turkish Chamber of Shipping (IMEAK), 226 civilian and commercial vessels have been attacked since the start of the war; 163 of them, or more than 70%, were targeted in the first 8 months of 2026. According to the same report, at least 26 attacks on Turkish-flagged or Turkish-owned vessels were recorded in the past two months. France 24 also cited assessments that Ukraine is using these attacks to put pressure on Türkiye over the shadow fleet carrying Russian cargo.