Russia Attacks Ukraine’s Danube Port, Damaging Civilian Togo-Flagged Vessel And Injuring 4

Russia attacked port facilities in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region overnight, damaging a civilian vessel registered in Togo and injuring four people, Ukrainian officials said on Monday.

The attack hit the Izmail district, home to Ukraine’s largest port on the Danube River. Located near the Romanian border, Izmail is an important part of Ukraine’s trade and transport network.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said it struck military targets at the port. It said these included a terminal used to unload vessels carrying military cargo, hangars containing Western military equipment and storage sites for naval drones.

Ukrainian authorities said fires caused by the attack were later put out.

Civilian vessel damaged

Oleh Kiper, governor of the Odesa region, said a civilian Togo-flagged vessel was damaged and four people were injured.

Russia also said it had hit a patrol boat and fuel storage tanks in a separate strike in Odesa.

Russian authorities said at least six people were killed overnight on Sunday. Moscow also said it had shot down a record 1,478 Ukrainian drones in the previous 24 hours.

Wildberries warehouse hit

A large fire broke out at a distribution warehouse belonging to Wildberries, a major Russian e-commerce company, near Moscow, authorities said.

Ukraine’s military said the facility was disabled by the strike. It also said seven of Wildberries’ 10 largest logistics hubs had now been taken out of operation.

Ukraine has increased attacks on Wildberries as it seeks to put more pressure on the Russian economy during the war.

The Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center, a Kyiv-based think tank, said Wildberries’ marketplace accounts for about 3% of Russia’s gross domestic product.

Why Izmail is important?

Izmail is Ukraine’s largest port on the Danube River and is close to the Romanian border. The port is part of Ukraine’s trade and transport network.

The reported damage to a civilian vessel means commercial shipping was also affected during the overnight strikes. The available information does not say how much the attack disrupted port operations.

Russia said it was targeting military facilities, while Ukrainian officials reported damage to port infrastructure and injuries.

The immediate fires at the port have been extinguished, Ukrainian authorities said. Further information on the condition of the damaged vessel and the impact on port operations was not available.

References: cnbc, the hindu