Local officials report that seven people were killed by Russian missiles which hit a civilian container vessel at a port located in the Odesa region of Ukraine.
“This is the third incident of an attack on a civilian vessel within the last four days,” stated Oleh Kiper, the governor of the region.
He said that Russia had targeted port infrastructure, and all of the victims were Ukrainian. Kiper said that several others were injured, and one port employee died from his injuries on Thursday in hospital.
The latest strike against one of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports coincided with the European tour of President Volodymyr Zelensky, who visited leaders in London Paris and Rome.
He met UK Prime Minister Sir Keir starmer in Downing Street, before holding talks with Mark Rutte. Rutte warned this week that Ukraine may face its toughest winter ever since the start of Russia’s full-scale invader in 2022.
Zelensky was due to meet US president Joe Biden and other Western allies on Saturday in Berlin, but Biden canceled his trip due to the threat Hurricane Milton poses to the US.
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In addition to the city of Zaporizhzhia, several people were also injured in the overnight Russian attacks on Ukraine.
In the Maikop region in southern Russia, Ukrainian drones also targeted a military airport. Local officials evacuated forty people from a village nearby.
Russia’s missile strike on the Odesa region hit a Panamanian-registered ship on Wednesday night, Oleh Kiper said – two days after a Palau-flagged ship was attacked, leaving one dead on board.
On Sunday, another ship carrying 6,000 tonnes corn was attacked.
The Ukrainian government claims that Russia’s attacks against Odesa’s Black Sea port are an attempt to destroy grain exports, which guarantee international food safety.
According to Ukrainian figures more than 20 civilian vessels have been damaged by Russian attacks since the beginning of the war, in 2022. Andrii Sybiha is Ukraine’s Foreign Minister. He has called on “responsible countries” to ensure food security and freedom of navigation.
Grain silos, as well as other port infrastructure, have also been severely damaged. Drones targeted the port of Izmail near the River Danube last week. A border crossing in Romania and a grain facility were also damaged.
Russia has not publicly commented on the recent attacks.
After Moscow pulled out of the Black Sea grain agreement last year, Ukraine was able to create a maritime route that ensures the safety of grain imports.
The agriculture ministry in Kyiv reports that 962,000 tonnes have been shipped so far this month – double what was shipped during the same period last.
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