Russian attack on Odesa damages second foreign civilian vessel, casualties reported

Editor's note: The article has been updated to reflect comments made by Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

Russian forces struck a foreign civilian ship flying the flag of Palau in Odesa on Oct. 7, according to Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper. A 60 year-old Ukrainian port employee was killed and five foreign nationals were injured as a result of the attack.

The attack marks the second time a foreign vessel was struck in Odesa Oblast in the past two days. An overnight attack on Oct. 6 struck the Paresa, a civilian cargo ship flying the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis, causing damage to the boat at the Pivdennyi Port.

The vessel attacked on Oct. 6 was loaded with about 6,000 tons of Ukrainian corn intended for export. No casualties were reported in that attack.

Following the second attack on Oct. 7, four of the foreign nationals remain in moderate condition, while another person is in mild condition. No additional information was provided as to the identity of the deceased.

According to Kiper, Russia used ballistic missiles to strike targets at the port's infrastructure. No details were immediately available on the condition of the vessel or what the ship was carrying.

Following the second attack, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha denounced the Russian attacks as a "deliberate terrorist tactic."

"By attacking civilian vessels, Russia tries to weaken Ukraine’s economy and put millions around the world at risk of hunger," Sybiha wrote on social media, referring to targeted attack against vessels carrying wheat and agriculture products.

"We must join forces of all responsible states and organizations to stop the aggressor, ensure freedom of navigation in Black Sea and global food security."

Traveling along the route, Ukrainian ships are regularly at risk of being attacked by Russia. Since the beginning of the all-out war, mines have also been drifting along the trade route, which also poses a risk to maritime transport.

Kyiv was forced to set up a new export route in the Black Sea last year after Russia unilaterally terminated the Black Sea grain deal. Initially envisioned as a humanitarian corridor to allow the departure of ships stranded there since the start of the full-scale war, it has since grown into a full-blown trade route.

A Russian missile struck a cargo ship carrying Ukrainian wheat to Egypt through the Black Sea on Sept. 12. The vessel was sailing through Romania's exclusive economic zone at the time.

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The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk