Russian Strikes On Ukraine’s Black Sea Ports Damage Foreign-Flagged Vessels, Kill 3

Russia launched fresh attacks on Ukraine’s Black Sea ports on Friday, killing three people and damaging foreign-flagged commercial vessels, while Ukraine said it struck Russian tankers, a patrol ship and oil facilities used to support Moscow’s military.

The attacks are the latest in the ongoing conflict in the Black Sea, where ports, commercial vessels and fuel facilities have been repeatedly targeted.

Russian attacks have continued to affect Ukraine’s grain exports, while Kyiv says it is striking Russia’s fuel and military logistics.

Regional prosecutors said a Russian drone strike on port infrastructure in the southern city of Mykolaiv damaged three civilian foreign-flagged vessels. Two Ukrainian nationals on board one of the foreign vessels were killed.

In Odesa, Ukraine’s largest seaport, another person was killed in a separate Russian attack, local officials said.

Odesa Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said a later strike hit a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel at one of the region’s ports, damaging the ship, causing a fire and injuring four of its 17 crew members. All crew members were safely evacuated.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had carried out overnight strikes on Ukrainian port facilities in Odesa and Chornomorsk.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s port infrastructure during the war, but Ukrainian officials say the attacks have intensified in recent weeks, focusing on deepwater ports that handle much of the country’s grain exports and other cargo.

Ukraine’s Seaports Authority said on Thursday that Russian strikes on ports and civilian vessels several times in July had killed 11 people, including port workers and foreign crew members.

According to traders and analysts, the attacks have partially halted grain shipments and led to an almost complete suspension of grain purchases at port terminals.

Separately, a Russian missile strike on a residential building in Odesa late on Thursday killed two people and injured several others, local authorities said.

“Nothing like this has ever happened before. There are so many air alerts – so many. It’s practically one air alert after another,” Odesa resident Viktoriia told Reuters.

As Russia continued its attacks, Ukraine said it carried out strikes on several Russian military and energy-related targets.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said its forces struck two tankers, including one gas carrier, and one tug in the Black and Azov seas on July 16 and during the night of July 17.

According to the General Staff, the tankers were being used to transport Russian oil, oil products and liquefied gas while bypassing international sanctions, as well as fuel for the Russian armed forces.

Ukraine also said it struck a Project 10410 Svetlyak-class patrol ship in Kerch, Crimea. The military said the vessel is used for maritime patrols, escorting ships and supporting operations of the Russian Navy and other security forces.

The General Staff also reported strikes on the TES-Terminal-1 oil terminal and a fuel and lubricants warehouse in Kerch, the Shakhtarsk oil depot in the Donetsk region, and the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in Russia’s Yaroslavl region.

It said the refinery was hit and a fire broke out at the facility. The extent of the damage is still being assessed.

According to the General Staff, Slavneft-YANOS is one of Russia’s largest oil refineries and the largest in the country’s central region. It has an average processing capacity of about 15 million tonnes of oil per year and produces gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation kerosene, lubricants, bitumen and other petroleum products used, in part, to supply Russia’s military-industrial complex and armed forces.

Ukraine also reported strikes on a railway bridge over the Kalmius River near Staromarivka in the Donetsk region and a road bridge near Kozino in Russia’s Kursk region, saying both are used by Russian forces for military logistics.

The General Staff said Ukrainian forces also hit a military logistics warehouse near Pokrovsk and a command and observation post near Novotroitske in the Donetsk region.

Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, said Ukrainian forces struck another 12 Russian vessels in the Black Sea on Friday, bringing the total number of vessels hit this month in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to 159.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had struck 24 vessels used by the Ukrainian military over the past week.

Reference: Reuters