Russian Drone Hits Chinese Cargo Ship Near Odesa Ahead Of Putin-Xi Talks

A Russian drone struck a Chinese-owned cargo ship in the Black Sea overnight, Ukrainian officials said on Monday, a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to visit China for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Ukraine’s navy said the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier KSL Deyang, operated by a Chinese crew, was hit while sailing towards Ukraine’s Odesa region to load cargo.

The strike happened during a large overnight Russian attack on Ukraine involving 524 drones and 22 missiles, including ballistic and cruise missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

“Drones struck Odesa and one of the UAVs hit a vessel owned by China,” Zelenskyy said on social media. “The Russians could not have been unaware of what vessel was at sea,” he added.

Ukraine’s navy released a photograph showing part of the ship blackened by fire after the strike. Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said the crew managed to put out the fire themselves and continued the voyage.

“The ship was entering for loading. After it was hit at night by a Shahed, the crew coped with the consequences on their own. Fortunately, no one was injured, and the vessel continued on its way to its port of destination,” Pletenchuk said.

According to Ukrainian officials, all crew members were Chinese citizens and no injuries were reported.

A source cited by Reuters said the vessel was travelling empty to Ukraine’s Pivdennyi port near Odesa, where it was expected to load iron ore concentrate.

Ukraine’s seaports authority also said another civilian vessel under a Guinea-Bissau flag was damaged during the attacks while approaching ports in the Odesa region.

Russia did not immediately comment on the incident.

The attack came just before Putin’s two-day visit to Beijing, where he is expected to meet Xi as Russia and China continue strengthening economic and political ties.

China has repeatedly called for peace talks to end the war in Ukraine but has not condemned Russia’s invasion launched in February 2022.

References: aljazeera, nypost