Video shows moments before Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sinks in Mediterranean

OSINT analyst Oliver Alexander shared the video on his social media page on X, noting that the footage captures the Ursa Major just before it sank. The video shows the ship heavily listing to one side.

Earlier reports indicated that the Ursa Major began to list after an explosion in the engine room. The cargo ship had 16 crew members on board; 14 were rescued and taken to the port of Cartagena, while two remain missing. The vessel, owned by the company Oboronlogistika, had been transporting cargo for the so-called "Syrian Express"—a route supplying Russian troops in Syria for many years, Russian outlet Mediazona reported.

The Ursa Major departed from St. Petersburg on Dec. 11 and was reportedly headed to Vladivostok with a large project cargo intended for the development of port infrastructure and the Northern Sea Route.

OSINT analyst Oliver Alexander claimed that the ship was carrying hatches for a nuclear reactor of a Project 10510 nuclear-powered icebreaker and two mobile port cranes with a lifting capacity of up to 120 tons to Vladivostok.

Earlier, OSINT analysts noted a Russian flotilla entering the Mediterranean Sea, possibly for the evacuation of Russian military personnel and equipment from Syria. The flotilla included three large landing ships and the vessels Sparta and Ursa Major.