ZMS August Vendetta incident

ZMS August Vendetta incident
Part of the 2020 Ossinia Conflict
Damaged ZMS August Vendetta one day (17 May 2020) after attack
Date 16 May 2020 Location Strait of Cranes near the Southern Alenchon Islands Result Increased public outrage against Ossinia; preparations for military operations against Martin Saint-Yves' regime
Participants
Zamastan	Ossinia
Commanders and leaders
Commander Ewen Salomon	Captain Josué Laurens
Strength
1 destroyer	2 Edior IIIs 1 missile frigate 3 motor torpedo boats
Casualties and losses
7 killed 171 wounded 1 ship heavily damaged	None

The ZMS August Vendetta incident was an attack on a Zamastanian navy destroyer, ZMS August Vendetta, by Ossinian missiles fired from a warship, the RNV Gabeaurd on May 16th, 2020. The attack killed seven sailors and increased hostilities between the two nations, which had been tense due to escalating incidents against international shipping. The attack occured in Zamastanian waters, making the attack a move against Zamastanian territory. Admiral Garrett Bittern of the Zamastanian navy said that the Zamastanian Intelligence Service and the Navy were working congruently to determine who in the Ossinian chain of command ordered the attack, and it was widely believed that Martin Saint-Yves directly ordered it.

While originally thought to be an accidental launch, the Defense Department and the Zamastanian Naval Command said that projections and radio chatter retrieved during and after the incident indicate that the ship intentionally fired the missile, marking the first time an Ossinian military asset attacked a Zamastanian military target. The ZMS August Vendetta was towed back to Anchorhead, Alenchon, where fuel from the ship's damaged section continued to burn for the next two days, making recovery of the killed sailors and any recoverable use from the ship difficult. The seven sailors were buried on May 20th, with President Foley Sakzi saying, "these men and women made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and for our freedom. They will always be heroes. They are with God and in our hearts."

A Zamastanian container ship, the MV Galen Schulz, was struck by a missile on the day following the attack on the August Vendetta, suffering fatal breaches in the ship's hull that caused it to eventually sink. A Ruskaynian ship, the MV Skipjack, was also detained. President Sakzi called Congressional Hall to an emergency session to convene on how to respond to Ossinia's attacks on May 16th, while Secretary-General of the C.C.A., Katherine von Wettin, removed Ossinia's seat in the General Assembly. On May 23rd, Sakzi was granted expanded military powers to act against Ossinia. That same day, the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry issued a joint advisory to the international community and the Coalition of Crown Albatross warning to avoid any navigation, international shipping, and aircraft or personal travel around Ossinian territorial waters, the Strait of Cranes, and the South Anchorhead Islands in Alenchon, Zamastan.

The attack caused increased international public and political outrage against Ossinia, and directly led to the planning and eventual undertaking of military operations against the Martin Saint-Yves regime on May 24th.