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A fire broke out on a Liberian-registered oil tanker manned entirely by an Indian crew off the Russian Black Sea coastline following a Ukrainian drone strike, as stated by the Russian Transport Ministry. According to the ministry, the vessel was targeted by naval drones, which subsequently ignited crude oil within the Black Sea. The blaze raged with such intensity that emergency responders were initially unable to suppress the flames. The Russian Transport Ministry stated that firefighters would attempt to extinguish the fire once its severity subsided. All 23 crew members were successfully evacuated following the assault, the ministry confirmed. The event transpired close to Sochi, a prominent Russian Black Sea resort destination with a population approaching 500,000. Footage shared across social media platforms captured intense orange flames blazing over the water, accompanied by a dense plume of black smoke billowing near Sochi. This tanker strike occurred a day after a separate vessel, the commercial ship MV ROYAD MAMMADOV, burned and sank off the Romanian coast in an incident resulting in two foreign fatalities and injuries to crew members, including three Indian nationals. Reacting to the escalation, India condemned the attack and reiterated its call for dialogue and diplomacy to end ongoing conflicts. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that the injured crew members had been rescued by Romanian authorities and were receiving medical attention, while expressing gratitude for Bucharest's swift action. Indian Ambassador to Romania Manoj Mohapatra also visited the three Indian nationals receiving treatment at Constana County Hospital to assure them of continued assistance. The MEA voiced grave concern over continued threats to commercial shipping, noting that such targeting severely undermines global commerce and the welfare of people worldwide, while highlighting India's role in co-launching the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers at the United Nations. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had similarly raised alarms over attacks on commercial vessels during his UN General Assembly address the previous week. Commercial maritime traffic across the Black Sea has faced escalating assaults since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, with both governments repeatedly targeting ships and marine infrastructure. Over recent days, Moscow has struck grain carriers transporting Ukrainian agricultural products close to Romania, an EU member state. Conversely, Kyiv maintains that its targeting of Russian petroleum infrastructure constitutes a legitimate response to nightly aerial bombardments hitting Ukrainian urban centres. Both belligerents have pledged to intensify their military operations in recent weeks, heightening anxieties regarding maritime security for commercial vessels navigating the Black Sea. Furthermore, Moscow has stepped up strikes against vital bridges in Kyiv and deployed daytime drone raids directed at the capital, introducing a new strategy that has triggered significant disruption and traffic congestion. The most recent tanker fire has further highlighted the persistent dangers confronting commercial shipping as hostilities persist. (ANI)