Russian warship sinks in the Black Sea after collision

All 78 personnel of Russian intelligence vessel
evacuated after collision with a freighter.

A Russian warship has sunk after colliding with a freighter 
off the coast of Istanbul in the Black Sea, Turkey's coastal safety authority said The Turkish coast guard said that all 78 personnel in the Russian intelligence vessel named Liman have been rescued.

Liman "sustained a hull breach due to a collision" with the
ship Ashot-7, 40 kilometres northwest of the Bosphorus 
Strait, Russia's defence ministry said in a statement carried 
by Russian agencies.

The Russian military said it is trying to identify the owner of
the Ashot-7 ship.

Turkey's coastal safety authority said the ship sank after
colliding with a Togo-flagged vessel. Turkish officials
 did not give any details on the ship, or the condition of its crew.

The Liman is a former research vessel that the Russian
 navy has retro-fitted into a reconnaissance ship.

Military sources told Russian media in February that it 
would be observing NATO's Sea Shield exercise in the Black Sea.