Moscow [Russia], October 5: The British Ministry of Defense speculates that the Russian pilot of a Tu-22M3 bomber mistakenly attacked a grain ship in the Black Sea due to 'hasty targeting'.
The British Ministry of Defense recently wrote on social media that the merchant ship Aya was probably shot down by a Russian bomber by mistake, and may have avoided damage because the old missile did not explode, according to Newsweek on October 4.
"On 11 September 2024, the merchant ship Aya was hit by a missile in the Black Sea while sailing south from the Ukrainian port of Odessa , carrying over 26,000 tonnes of grain to Egypt," the British Ministry of Defense wrote in an intelligence update shared on social network X.
"It is almost certain that the missile was an AS-4 KITCHEN anti-ship missile launched from a Russian Tu-22M3 BACKFIRE bomber operating in the area at the time. There is a real possibility that the failed explosion avoided catastrophic damage," the news release said.
British intelligence believes that the Aya was probably not the intended target of the Tu-22M3 pilot and that an older type of missile may have been used.
"There is a real possibility that this incident occurred because the pilots misidentified the MV Aya as their target and wanted to leave the area immediately after launch for fear of being targeted by a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile," British defense officials said, adding that Russia had become increasingly cautious about offensive operations in the Black Sea region since the loss of the Tu-22 this year.
There is currently no information about Russia's reaction to the UK's above statement.
In April, Ukraine shot down a Russian Tu-22M3 for the first time in its conflict with Russia, according to Kyiv's military intelligence. Ukrainian forces said they shot down the Tu-22M3, causing it to crash in the southwestern Russian territory of Stavropol, according to Newsweek .
The Tu-22M3 is a long-range bomber designed to destroy sea and ground targets with guided missiles and bombs.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper