Russia Attacks Ship in Ukraine – One Dead, Several Injured

"This time, a merchant freighter flying the flag of Guinea-Bissau and loaded with Ukrainian wheat was struck," Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. The ship's hull was damaged, and the other crew members were brought ashore.

“The enemy continues to attack civilian ships in the Black Sea region without pause,” Kiper said. “Such attacks demonstrate once again the systematic nature and cynicism of Russian terror, as well as the danger the aggressor poses both to the lives of the civilian population and to global food security as a whole,” he said. Ukraine is one of the world’s major grain exporters and uses the ports around Odessa as a transshipment hub.

Russia and Ukraine have recently intensified their naval and air warfare. Both countries are firing on each other’s ships in the Black Sea region. In the Odessa area in particular, there have been repeated strikes with serious consequences.

The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the attacks on the Odessa region. It said two ships had been hit south and east of Odessa. The ministry accused Ukraine of using the grain carriers to transport military supplies. This information cannot be verified by independent sources.