Russia attacks civilian ship near Odesa for third time

A civilian ship sailing under the Liberian flag was attacked for the third time by Russian forces near the approaches to Odesa port, Ukraine's Sea Ports Administration (USPA) reported.

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Today, Russia attacked a civilian ship sailing under the Liberian flag for the third time, anchored near the approaches to Odesa port.

The vessel was anchored when it was hit. USPA confirmed the ship was empty and had no crew aboard at the time of the incident. Smoke was reported emanating from the wheelhouse area following the strike.

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Repeated strikes on the same civilian ship once again demonstrate the nature of Russian attacks – the target is not only port infrastructure or cargo, but the civilian merchant fleet itself.

USPA characterized the repeated targeting of the same vessel as evidence of Russia's strategy, which it claims extends beyond port infrastructure and cargo to include civilian merchant shipping itself. The administration asserted that Russia is systematically threatening international navigation in the Black Sea to disrupt Ukraine's maritime logistics and undermine the safety of commercial shipping.

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Russia is systematically threatening international navigation in the Black Sea, aiming to disrupt Ukraine's maritime logistics and undermine the safety of commercial shipping.

Earlier, Ukraine's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Volodymyr Pavlichenko, told the UN Security Council that Russia is conducting a deliberate campaign against Ukraine's grain exports. He accused Russia of attempting to blockade maritime trade routes in the Black Sea, thereby jeopardizing global food supplies.

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Russia is carrying out a deliberate campaign against Ukraine's grain exports and is trying to blockade maritime trade routes in the Black Sea, thus threatening global food security.