In 2 days, the Russian Federation damaged 2 civilian cargo vessels in Odesa

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, said that in just two days, Russian ballistic attacks damaged two civilian cargo ships in Odesa.

“Yesterday — one with corn headed for Italy. Today — another, as a result of which one person died and five were injured. Ships were damaged earlier in September. This is a deliberate tactic of terrorists,” the minister noted.

He added that by attacking civilian vessels, Russia is trying to weaken Ukraine's economy and put millions of people around the world at risk of starvation.

“We must unite the efforts of all responsible states and organizations to stop the aggressor, ensure freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and global food security,” Andrii Sybiha wrote.

Attack on October 7

On the evening of October 7, Russian troops attacked the Odesa port infrastructure with a ballistic missile, as a result of which a Ukrainian citizen was killed and five foreigners were injured.

Oleh Kiper, Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, reported this in Telegram.

“The enemy attacked Odesa with ballistic missiles. The aggressor's target was the port infrastructure. The enemy hit a civilian vessel flying the flag of Palau with a ballistic missile. A 60-year-old Ukrainian, an employee of a private cargo handling company, was killed. Five more foreign citizens were injured,” he wrote.

According to Kiper, four of the wounded are in a condition of medium severity, one is in a light condition. They are currently receiving the necessary medical assistance.

Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, emphasized that in the last two days, the enemy damaged two ships that were supposed to take cargo from Ukraine.

“This is a purposeful practice of intimidation and obstruction of the work of the Ukrainian maritime corridor. In this way, the aggressor is trying to destroy once again shipping in the Black Sea and undermine Ukrainian efforts to guarantee food security. The result of this can only be increased instability in sensitive regions of the world that depend on food imports, and unrest in international relations,” he wrote in Telegram.

Kuleba specified that the vessel “OPTIMA” under the flag of Palau entered the port of Odesa for loading on October 7. It was damaged by a ballistic missile as a result of Russian shelling.

The official emphasized that the port infrastructure must be protected from terror in order to guarantee free and safe navigation.

“We must continue to strengthen our anti-aircraft defence and use the force of arms and the force of diplomacy to bring the enemy to justice,” Kuleba said.

Attack on October 6

On the night of October 6, a Russian missile damaged a civilian vessel loaded with 6,000 tonnes of Ukrainian grain in the “Pivdennyi” port.

The Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine announced this on Facebook.

“On the night of October 6, Russia damaged the civilian ship “Paresa” under the flag of St. Kitts and Nevis, which was loaded with corn grain for export. It happened near one of the berths in the “Pivdennyi” seaport,” the report says.

According to the Ministry, none of the 15 crew members, citizens of Egypt and Syria, were injured. In total, about 6,000 tonnes of Ukrainian corn were loaded onto the ship.

It was the twentieth civilian vessel damaged by Russian attacks.

According to Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, these attacks are Russia's attempts to influence the successful operation of the Ukrainian Maritime Food Corridor and endanger global food security.

However, even despite systematic Russian shelling and strikes, the Ukrainian corridor continues to operate around the clock. In more than a year, he managed to export more than 70 million tonnes of cargo, which is more than 2,500 ships that left Ukrainian ports to countries in Africa, Asia and Europe.

We will remind, on October 2, 2024, Russia once again attacked the port infrastructure of Odesa region.

IC UAC according to the MFA of Ukraine and the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine