Provenance?
The origin of this photo has been debated. Most agree that it is the ship in question, but who took it? Was it from a reported Turkish ship that responded, or was it from a Russian vessel? If the later, how did the photo end up in the Western press? Leaked? Intercepted? Not exactly the sort of image the Kremlin would want out there. Note the lack of lifeboats and the rather calm seas. Russian claimed it sank during a storm while being towed. That ship is pretty clearly taking on water, not just burning.