The Southern Defense Forces of Ukraine said a Russian missile hit a Liberian-flagged civilian ship as it was entering a Ukrainian port in the Odessa Oblast. One sailor was killed and four people were injured. The ship was transporting iron ore to China.
According to a statement from the Southern Defense Forces Ukraine Russian forces attacked one of the ports of the Odessa Oblast with a Kh-31P missile from a tactical aircraft in the Black Sea.
The helmsman died and four people were injured
The shell hit the ship’s superstructure, killing the helmsman. Three crew members (citizens Philippines) and one of the port workers were injured.
A Russian missile hit a civilian shipDefense Forces of the South of Ukraine
According to Oleksandr Kubrakov, Minister of Local Community Development and Infrastructure, the ship was supposed to transport iron ore to China.
As he emphasized, this is the 21st attack Russia after its withdrawal in July from the so-called grain agreement, which allowed Ukraine to export food products through the Black Sea. Since then, Russian forces have damaged over 160 infrastructure facilities and 122 means of transport, Kubrakow noted.
Russia is to treat every ship as a military target
Ukraine launched a “humanitarian corridor” in August for ships heading to markets in Africa and Asia to try to bypass the de facto blockade of the Black Sea after Russia withdrew from the grain deal in July.
However, Russia announced that it would treat each ship as a potential military target.
Main photo source: Defense Forces of the South of Ukraine