Rosatom ship attacked near Novorossiysk as Akkuyu nuclear plant partnership talks accelerate

A Russian‑owned container vessel, the Yanina, operated by Rosatom’s subsidiary FESCO, was struck by two Ukrainian sea drones about 130 miles off the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The ship sank after the hit, but 17 tonnes of petcoke were recovered and the crew were rescued by a nearby Egyptian‑captained vessel. Rosatom General Director Aleksey Likhachev confirmed the incident, describing it as "sea piracy," and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted video of the attack, noting the ship was on a sanctions list.

At the same time, Rosatom is intensifying negotiations over a possible 49 % stake in Turkey’s Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant. Discussions involve the Turkish state electricity producer Elektrik Üretim AŞ, other Turkish firms and Gulf‑region investment funds. Likhachev said Turkish companies have shown interest in joining the project, which aims to supply roughly 10 % of Turkey’s electricity once its four 1,200 MW reactors are operational. No final agreement has been reached yet.