Russian naval vessel sinks near Türkiye.

A Russian naval reconnaissance vessel sank after colliding with a cargo ship off the coast of Türkiye.

The Liman ship operates in the Black Sea region. Photo: Kchf.ru.

The Russian electronic reconnaissance vessel Liman sank today after colliding with a Togolese-flagged livestock ship in the Black Sea, 40 kilometers northwest of the Bosphorus Strait. Turkish rescue forces said 78 people on board were rescued, with fog and poor visibility believed to be the cause, Reuters reported.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the Liman suffered a hull breach after the collision, and confirmed that no one was injured. Turkish authorities did not provide information about the cargo ship or the condition of its crew.

Liman is a Project 861M electronic reconnaissance ship, built between 1968 and 1974 in Poland. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Navy commissioned and operated four ships of this class. Each ship is 73 meters long, 11 meters wide, and has a displacement of 1,580 tons. The ships are equipped with numerous electronic reconnaissance and surveillance systems, as well as sonar systems.

The ship has a crew of 80-120 people and is only equipped with a limited number of infantry weapons and shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles.

The location believed to be where the collision occurred. Image: Google Earth.

According to VNE