There's no indication, one way or another, that the video of the burning ship offshore that is associated with the claimed attack on
Vasily Bykov was fabricated. In fact, it seems more likely than not that the video, at its core, is legitimate, though it may show another vessel on fire.
On February 25, a day after Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, the Moldovan-flagged chemical tanker MV
Millennial Spirit was reportedly struck by a Russian missile in the western end of the Black Sea some 18 miles southeast of the
Ukrainian port city of Odesa. That incident reportedly left two members of the ship's 12-person crew, all of who were Russian nationals,
seriously injured. Video footage, seen below, subsequently emerged showing the ship ablaze and emitting the same kind of thick black smoke seen in the video purportedly of the damaged
Vasiliy Bykov.