CNN
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According to Russian authorities, an explosion sank a sanctioned Russian cargo ship in the Mediterranean on Monday evening, leaving two crew members missing.

The Russian Foreign Ministry’s crisis center said the ship Ursa Major sank south of Spain after an explosion in the engine room. It traveled through the Mediterranean after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar, the narrow strip of sea between Europe and Africa.

According to the ministry, 14 crew members were rescued and taken to a Spanish port, but two remained missing.

Ursa Major is the flagship of Oboronlogistika, a shipping company that carries cargo for the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The company was sanctioned by the US State Department in 2022.

Spain’s maritime rescue agency confirmed the ship had sunk, alerting ships in the area to the “possibility of shipwreck debris” and urging them to “keep a sharp lookout, give it a wide berth” and report any sightings to authorities.

Oboronlogistika said in a news release on Friday that the ship, formerly called Sparta, was en route to Vladivostok in Russia’s far east, carrying two large cranes that would be used to expand port infrastructure there.

But Ukraine’s main intelligence agency, GUR, claimed on social media on Monday morning – hours before the ship sank – that the ship was en route to Syria and had already encountered problems on its journey.

Kiev intelligence claimed that the ship broke down off the coast of Portugal, but that the crew solved the problem and continued their journey.

The video, filmed on Monday and shared on Russian social media channels and confirmed by CNN, showed a ship that closely resembled the appearance of the Ursa Major, with cranes visible on the ship.

The agency said Russia sent the ship to transport its weapons and equipment from Syria, where Russia still controls a port facility in Tartus after the overthrow of Moscow’s ally and former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Last week, two US officials and a Western official familiar with the intelligence told CNN that Russia had begun withdrawing a large amount of military equipment and troops from Syria.

According to the US State Department, the main goals of Oboronlogistika are “to ensure the needs of the Russian Ministry of Defense in the transportation, storage and production of military and special goods.”

Earlier this month, two Russian tankers carrying thousands of tons of fuel were badly damaged in stormy weather near the Black Sea, leading to an oil spill.