MOSCOW, April 9. /TASS/. The Kiev regime made another abortive attempt to evacuate the leaders of Ukrainian nationalists from Mariupol by sea on Friday night, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov told reporters on Saturday.

"The Kiev regime has not abandoned its attempts to evacuate the leaders of Azov nationalist regiment and foreign mercenaries from Mariupol. Previous actions to evacuate them by helicopter have failed," he said.

"On the evening of April 8, the Kiev regime made another unsuccessful attempt to evacuate the Ukrainian Nazi leaders by sea," Konashenkov added.

The Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said that the Ukrainian Apache, a Maltese-flagged cargo ship assigned to the Maltese port of Valetta, was sailing at nighttime in a caravan of ships from Taganrog Bay to the Kerch Strait.

"At 22:38 Moscow time, the cargo vessel suddenly changed its course 30 kilometers southeast off Mariupol and attempted to break through from the sea to the Mariupol seaport blocked by the Black Sea Fleet," he said.

The bulk carrier was sailing on without responding to Russian border guards’ calls to establish contact through an international channel.

Warning artillery shots fired by two border patrol ships in the path of the vessel failed to change its course or to slow down its speed.

"While sailing towards the port, the vessel was engaged in radio communication, transmitting a message, ‘I am ‘Maniac’ coming for you’," Konashenkov said adding that signal fires were seen on the shore.

From 22.53 to 22.30 Moscow time, artillery fire was opened by a warship and border patrol ships of the Black Sea Fleet to stop the intruder vessel.

"A direct hit started fire on the stern of the vessel," he said.

According to the spokesman, as a result, the Ukrainian cargo vessel went adrift and the crew established contact with the border ships, asking to cease the fire and confirming their readiness to obey the Russian sailors’ orders.

"No crew members aboard the ship were injured in the shelling. The fire was extinguished by the ship’s crew on their own," Konashenkov said. "After the search, the Ukrainian cargo vessel Apache with the crew is being escorted to the Yeysk port.".