Trending Now - Russian Vessel Sinks Under Mysterious Conditions, Possibly With Nuclear Cargo for North Korea
WHO:
Daily Express - The Russian cargo ship is named Ursa Major.
CNN - The Russian captain is named Igor Anisimov.
CNN - The ship is owned by the state-linked company Oboronlogistics.
CNN - Two crew members killed were named as Second Mechanic Nikitin and Mechanic Yakovlev.
WHAT:
Daily Express - The Ursa Major was officially bound for Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East.
CNN - The Ursa Major was reported to have suffered three explosions near its engine room, killing two crew members and leaving the vessel immobile and heavily listing.
CNN - The Spanish maritime rescue authorities sent a helicopter and a fast rescue boat to assist the Ursa Major after it issued a distress call at 12:53 p.m. UTC.
The Guardian - The Ursa Major sank at approximately 11:20 p.m. UTC.
The Guardian - The Ursa Major is now lying at a depth of 2,500 meters (8,202 feet).
Daily Express - The Russian captain, Igor Anisimov, initially described the cargo as “manhole covers” before admitting they were “components for two nuclear reactors similar to those used in submarines” under questioning.
CNN - The Ursa Major was officially transporting “non-dangerous merchandise,” including 129 shipping containers, two cranes, and two large maintenance hole covers.
The Guardian - A Spanish government document confirmed that the Russian warship launched flares over the Ursa Major, which could have been used to blind intelligence satellites monitoring the incident.
Daily Express - The Ursa Major sank after suffering three explosions on its starboard side.
Daily Express - The ship was reportedly carrying components for two submarine nuclear reactors.
CNN - The ship's public manifest listed two large cranes, 129 empty containers, and two oversized “manhole covers”.
Daily Express - Two crew members were killed in the explosions, while 14 survivors were rescued.
CNN - A 50cm by 50cm hole was found in the vessel’s hull, with metal bent inward.
CNN - Four further explosions were detected after the Ivan Gren fired red flares over the scene.
CNN - The Ursa Major was reported sunk by 11:10 p.m. UTC.
WHERE:
Daily Express - The Ursa Major sank 60 miles off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea.
CNN - The ship was tracked through European waters, including by Portuguese naval aircraft.
CNN - The wreckage lies at a depth of about 2,500 meters (8,202 feet).
WHEN:
Daily Express - The Ursa Major sank on December 23, 2024.
Daily Express - The ship departed from St. Petersburg on December 11, 2024.
CNN - The ship docked in Ust-Luga on December 2, 2024.
CNN - The ship issued a distress call at 11:53 a.m. UTC on December 23, 2024.
WHY:
Daily Express - The incident occurred shortly after Kim Jong Un sent troops to support Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
CNN - The Spanish investigation suggests the use of a rare type of torpedo to breach the ship’s hull.
HOW:
CNN - The investigation suggests the use of a Barracuda supercavitating torpedo to breach the ship’s hull, which is believed to have caused a 50cm by 50cm hole with the damaged metal facing inward.
CNN - Four further explosions were detected after the Ivan Gren fired red flares over the scene, with seismic signatures resembling underwater mines or quarry blasts.
CNN - The investigation suggests the use of a Barracuda supercavitating torpedo to breach the ship’s hull, which is believed to have caused a 50cm by 50cm hole with the damaged metal facing inward.
CNN - The US military has sent a rare WC135-R “nuke sniffer” aircraft over the wreck area twice since the sinking, once on August 28 and again on February 6.
Daily Express - The ship was escorted by two Russian military vessels, the Ivan Gren and the Aleksandr Otrakovsky.
CNN - The Ursa Major slowed dramatically in Spanish waters before issuing a distress call.
CNN - The Spanish military attempted to conduct a rescue operation, sending a helicopter to check for survivors.
(UPDATED May 12, 2026 23:22 UTC)
The Ursa Major, which was en route to Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East, suffered three explosions near its engine room, resulting in the tragic deaths of two crew members and leaving the vessel immobile and heavily listing. Following a distress call, Spanish maritime rescue authorities dispatched a helicopter and a fast rescue boat, but the Ursa Major ultimately sank at approximately 11:20 p.m. UTC and now rests at a depth of 2,500 meters. Investigations indicate that a Barracuda supercavitating torpedo may have breached the ship’s hull, creating a significant hole, and further explosions were detected after the Ivan Gren fired red flares over the scene.
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(UPDATED May 12, 2026 19:32 UTC)
A Russian captain has come under scrutiny after initially claiming that his cargo consisted of “manhole covers,” only to later reveal they were actually components for two nuclear reactors similar to those used in submarines. Meanwhile, a Spanish government document has confirmed that a Russian warship launched flares over the Ursa Major, potentially blinding intelligence satellites monitoring the situation. Investigators believe a Barracuda supercavitating torpedo was used to breach the ship’s hull, creating a significant hole, and the US military has dispatched a WC135-R “nuke sniffer” aircraft to the wreck site on two occasions since the incident.
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(UPDATED May 12, 2026 17:42 UTC)
The Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank after suffering three explosions on its starboard side, resulting in the tragic deaths of two crew members, Second Mechanic Nikitin and Mechanic Yakovlev, while 14 others were rescued. The ship, owned by the state-linked company Oboronlogistics and captained by Igor Anisimov, was reportedly carrying components for two submarine nuclear reactors when it sank approximately 60 miles off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea. Spanish authorities are investigating the incident, which occurred shortly after Kim Jong Un sent troops to support Russia's war effort in Ukraine, and preliminary findings suggest a rare type of torpedo may have breached the ship's hull.