By A Russian missile hit a Palau-flagged vessel in Ukraine’s southern port of Odesa on Monday, killing a Ukrainian national and injuring five crew members in the second such attack in as many days, officials said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X that the two ships were damaged in the Black Sea grain-export hub without giving details on the ships’ conditions. He condemned Russia’s actions. “We must join forces of all responsible states and organizations to…ensure freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and global food security.”
Russia’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Moscow has repeatedly denied it attacks civilian targets.
Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the man killed in the latest attack was a port worker. The five injured men were foreign nationals and ship crew members. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba identified the vessel as the Optima and said it arrived in Odesa hours before the attack.
A view shows the Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged cargo ship Paresa, damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the seaport of Pivdennyi, in Odesa region, Ukraine, in this handout released October 7, 2024. Press Service of the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine.
Russia “is trying in this way to destroy shipping in the Black Sea, which is crucial for food security. The result will likely be increased instability in regions heavily reliant on food imports and heightened tensions in international relations,” Kuleba said.
The ministry said the Paresa was the 20th civilian vessel to be damaged by Russian attacks. Last month, the Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged bulk carrier Aya was hit by a Russian missile in the Black Sea. Another vessel, an Antigua-flagged carrier was damaged in a Russian missile strike in Odesa. Russia has struck the port repeatedly since its full-scale special operation in Ukraine began in February 2022.
A damaged civilian cargo vessel, carrying wheat grain to Egypt, which was hit by a Russian missile strike after it left the Ukrainian maritime border in the Black Sea. Photograph: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Reuters.
Reuters.
