A Russian attack on a Togo-flagged merchant ship caused the death of three crew members and injured five more, according to Deputy Prime Minister for restoration of Ukraine, minister for communities and territories development of Ukraine, Oleksii Kuleba.
A fire broke out as a result of hitting the shipʼs superstructure, Kuleba reported on Tuesday.
The merchant vessel was discharging mineral fertilizers in the Odesa region at the time of the attack.
“Unfortunately, three crew members died. I express my sincere condolences to their families and loved ones,” the statement reads.
According to Kuleba, five more seafarers were injured. All the injured have been hospitalized and are receiving the necessary medical care.
In his statement on X, Kuleba wrote: “This is another blow by Russia to civilian shipping and port infrastructure in Ukraine. Such attacks threaten the safety of international shipping, the stability of global trade, and the world’s food security.”
The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority confirmed port infrastructure and other civilian facilities were also damaged in the attack. Three crew members were killed as a result of the strike, while five more were injured.
“Strikes on civilian ports and merchant ships are a deliberate attempt to disrupt the stable operation of Ukrainian seaports and intimidate international shipping. However, Ukrainian ports continue to do their job, ensuring the functioning of the maritime corridor and world trade,” the authority said in its statement.
Coalition of the Willing members to intensify pressure on “Ghost fleet”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing held in Paris on Monday, July 13. The founding members of the Coalition are Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
The meeting brought together representatives of 40 countries, with Moldova and North Macedonia joining the Coalition.
During the meeting, French president Emmanuel Macron noted that his country has already carried out five operations to intercept “shadow fleet” vessels since the beginning of this year.
On the eve of the July 14 military parade, Macron invited all countries contributing to the Coalition to intensify their pressure on Russia through the fight against the so-called “ghost fleet.”
Ukraine strikes another 20 Russian ships in Black Sea, USF says
Ukraine has intensified its attacks on Russian shipping in the Black Sea, claiming 20 vessel hits on Wednesday.
The Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck another twenty vessels overnight on July 15, according to Kyiv’s USF.
In a statement on Wednesday, Ukraine’s USF said among these were 17 oil tankers, two gas tankers, and one tugboat.
The latest announcement follows a series of daily reports by USF detailing strikes on Russian shipping.
In total, from July 6 to 15, the Unmanned Systems Forces hit 136 Russian ships described by the Ukrainian military as ‘shadow fleet’ vessels.
Shipping Telegraph could not independently verify the report, and the Russian military has not commented on the strikes.
