Russia, Ukraine intensify Black Sea battles amid deadly strikes

Russia and Ukraine are escalating their battle for control of the Black Sea and its vital trade routes. Following Moscow's recent attacks, three people were killed in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, while Kyiv's drones continue to target Russian vessels.

“

In the evening, the enemy launched a new attack on port infrastructure in the Odesa region. During this attack, an enemy drone hit a civilian ship flying the Marshall Islands flag. A fire broke out on board. Unfortunately, two people were reported dead.

Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper reported that Russia's large-scale drone and missile assaults on the southern region have entered their fifth consecutive day. Civilian, industrial, and port infrastructure have been targeted. Kiper stated that Russian attacks on a merchant ship in southern Ukraine and two other ships in the Black Sea on Tuesday resulted in three fatalities, including one ship captain. He added that a civilian ship flying the Marshall Islands flag was hit by a drone, causing a fire and two deaths.

Earlier, Kiper had reported that two merchant ships flying Tanzanian and Liberian flags, sailing in the Black Sea, were also targeted. The captain of one of these vessels was killed, while the remaining 11 crew members were evacuated, three with injuries. These targeted ships were reportedly traveling along a corridor designated for Ukraine's grain exports.

“

As a result of the attack, the captain of one of the ships involved was killed.

Kiper condemned these attacks as war crimes against peaceful populations, civilian navigation, and global food security. Russian forces have frequently targeted Ukrainian port infrastructure, particularly in Odesa. Concurrently, Ukrainian forces have intensified their assaults on ships in the Sea of Azov, a crucial route for Russian agricultural products and supply lines to the Moscow-annexed Crimean peninsula.

“

Every cruel attack by the enemy is a war crime against peaceful populations, civilian navigation, and global food security.