The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is checking information about the presence of Ukrainian citizens on board of a ship seized by the Houthis in the Red Sea, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko said on Sunday evening.

"We see reports in the media about the seizure of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea, on board of which there may be citizens of Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has already instructed the involved Ukrainian embassies to check this information, as well as contact the owner company to find out the exact composition of the ship's crew and other details. We are keeping this situation under special control," he wrote on Facebook.

As The Times of Israel reported on Sunday, November 19, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed the seizure by Yemen's Houthis of a ship in the Red Sea that did not have Israeli citizens on board.

The Galaxy Leader was reportedly traveling from Turkey to India with an international civilian crew. According to Arabic-language media, there are 52 people on board the ship.

It is emphasized that the military directly blames the Houthi group for the seizure of the ship. Iran-backed militants have vowed to attack Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea.