The Ukrainian Government has approved a mechanism to compensate shipowners for damage to vessels resulting from Russian attacks. The state is entitled to reimburse up to 80 per cent of the assessed damage not covered by war risk insurance. However, the actual amount of payments will depend on the availability of appropriate funding in the state budget. Payments will be made in hryvnias to accounts held with Ukrainian banks.
In Romanian territorial waters, the tanker Yara J, flying the Comoros flag, caught fire. The crew were evacuated; no reports of casualties have been received.
Ukraine is resuming strikes on Russian oil refineries. The ban on such attacks was lifted amid intelligence issues and Starlink disruptions during the heavy shelling.
Sergei “Flash” Beskrestnov, an adviser to the Ukrainian president on the development of defence technologies, stated that Elon Musk’s company SpaceX had deliberately restricted the speed of Starlink terminals in Ukraine, which led to the disruption of a number of combat operations.
US President Donald Trump expects that the agreement with Russia on diesel fuel will lead to a significant reduction in global prices for this petroleum product.
Shipping in the Black Sea remains extremely risky. Last night, two vessels off the coast of Bulgaria came under attack from drones. One of them sank 17 miles from the village of Krapets; only one crew member was rescued. The second vessel was damaged 18 miles from the coastal town of Byala; it caught fire but remained afloat. The entire crew was evacuated, and three injured crew members received treatment at a hospital in Varna. The vessel – the dry cargo ship Chelsea, owned by a Ukrainian company, registered in Odessa and flying the Maltese flag – was en route from the Turkish port of Giresun to the Moldovan port of Giurgiulești.
Politico reports that the US-Russia agreement on diesel supplies was finalised at the worst possible time for Ukraine, which is bracing for a harsh winter.
The authorities in the Republic of Moldova intend to build shelters at all border crossing points with Ukraine. This was stated by Prime Minister Vasile Tofan.
Representatives of the US presidential administration have threatened to stop sharing US intelligence with Ukraine if Kyiv continues to strike Russian oil refineries.
NATO fully respects the constitutional neutrality of the Republic of Moldova and the country’s sovereign right to determine its own future. The statement was made by Radmila Shekerinska, NATO Deputy Secretary-General, at the Moldova Security Forum.
