Russian strike on Liberian-flagged cargo ship in Black Sea kills 1, injures 3
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Russian forces attacked a civilian cargo ship sailing under the Liberian flag at a port near Odesa in the Black Sea on Oct. 3, killing one.
The sailor killed was a motor engineer, and three other crew members were injured in the strike, according to the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority. 13 other crew members were evacuated from the vessel.
"This is yet another deliberate attack by Russia on civilian shipping," said the Sea Ports Authority. "Russia continues to terrorize the peaceful merchant fleet and sailors who risk their lives every day to ensure the operation of Ukrainian maritime routes."
The attack comes amid an international call for Russia to halt attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea and allow the passage of grain exports.
While the Black Sea isn’t officially blocked, vessels are avoiding Ukraine for fear of being hit by missiles. Since June, Moscow has deliberately stepped up attacks on civilian ships as well as port facilities, as Ukraine puts pressure on Russia’s economy by increasingly striking oil refineries, the shadow fleet, and dual-use logistics hubs.
Ukraine established its own Black Sea maritime corridor in August 2023, after Russia withdrew from a U.N.- and Turkey-brokered grain deal. Since then, Russia has regularly targeted ports and civilian shipping.
On Sept. 17, a Russian drone attacked a Tanzania-flagged civilian vessel in the Black Sea en route to a Ukrainian port, killing the ship's captain and injuring three crew members, Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry said.
A Ukrainian unmanned surface vessel destroyed a Russian naval drone in the Black Sea in what Ukraine's Navy described as the "first-ever naval battle" between unmanned boats, on Sept. 12.
