Russian drones struck two foreign-flagged civilian ships in the Black Sea Thursday night, killing one person and injuring five others. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba confirmed the attacks targeted vessels flying the flags of Saint Kitts and Nevis and Panama. One sailor remains in critical condition.
Odesa Regional Governor Oleh Kiper stated both vessels have since resumed transit. Kuleba condemned the strikes as a direct assault on freedom of navigation and global food security.
The maritime attacks coincided with widespread Russian bombardment across southern and eastern Ukraine. In Odesa, a drone strike ignited a truck parking lot, killing one person and injuring four. Separate drone attacks in Kherson wounded four civilians, while a guided bomb assault in Kharkiv injured nine people and damaged over 40 homes.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported intercepting 79 of 90 Russian drones launched during the overnight campaign. These defensive operations followed a significant Ukrainian strike on a Moscow oil refinery earlier Thursday. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the refinery attack as a justified response to ongoing Russian aggression against Ukrainian cities.