Russia Strikes Liberian-Flagged Civilian Vessel For The Third Time Near Odesa

Russian forces attacked the same Liberian-flagged civilian vessel for the third time while it was anchored near the approaches to the port of Odesa on Tuesday, Ukrainian authorities said.

The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) said the vessel was empty and had no crew on board when it was hit. Smoke was seen coming from the wheelhouse after the attack.

The ship was anchored at a roadstead near the approaches to Odesa port at the time of the strike.

“Today, Russia attacked for the third time a Liberian-flagged civilian vessel that was anchored at a roadstead near the approaches to the port of Odesa,” the USPA said.

Odesa Regional Military Administration head Oleh Kiper also confirmed the attack, saying the vessel was at anchor without cargo or crew when it was struck. He said the ship had already been damaged twice in earlier Russian attacks.

According to Kiper, smoke was recorded on the vessel after the latest strike, while the final consequences are still being assessed.

The USPA said repeated attacks on the same vessel showed that Russian strikes were aimed not only at port infrastructure and cargo but also at civilian merchant ships.

“Repeated strikes on the same civilian vessel once again demonstrate the nature of Russian attacks: it is not only port infrastructure or cargo that is being targeted, but the civilian merchant fleet itself,” the authority said.

Kiper said the latest attack showed what he described as Russia’s disregard for international law and its attempts to disrupt the operation of Ukraine’s maritime corridor.

The USPA said Russia was systematically threatening international shipping in the Black Sea by trying to disrupt Ukraine’s maritime logistics and undermine the safety of commercial shipping.

The attack came a day after Ukraine’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Volodymyr Pavlichenko, told a U.N. Security Council meeting on July 27 that Russia was carrying out a deliberate campaign against Ukrainian grain exports and attempting to block maritime trade routes in the Black Sea, posing a threat to global food security.

The full extent of the damage to the vessel has not been released. Ukrainian authorities said smoke was recorded in the wheelhouse area, while assessments of the attack were continuing.

References: ukrinform, usm