Russian warships sank a peaceful merchant ship flying the Panama flag near Odesa, four sailors are reported as killed, said Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs.

"March 3, 2022. Due to refusal to enter the seaport of the city of Odesa, in the mined part of Odesa water area, two missiles below the waterline sank the merchant ship Helt, which sailed under the flag of Panama, in the area of Tendra Spit," Gerashchenko wrote on Telegram on Thursday.

According to him, the crew consisted of six people, of which "four sailors drowned along with the ship," and "the captain and the cook are currently on the raft and heading towards the coast."

"The rescue operation is impossible, because the bay is under the gun of the Russian Navy," Gerashchenko stressed.