“The aggressor focused on the port infrastructure. He hit a civilian vessel sailing under the flag of Palau with a ballistic missile. A 60-year-old Ukrainian was killed. (…) Another five foreigners were injured. Four are in moderate condition, one in light condition. We are currently providing them with the necessary medical care,” said Kiper in a telegram post.
The head of the Odessa military report further accused Moscow of trying to disrupt the Ukrainian grain corridor. Also, the Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction and Regional Development, Oleksiy Kuleba, accused Moscow on Monday of trying to disrupt the functioning of the Ukrainian maritime food corridor, thereby endangering global food security. Russia did not comment.
#Odessa It is reported that in the port of Odessa, a 9M723 missile from the Iskander-M missile system attacked the Optima dry cargo ship carrying ammunition under the flag of Palau. pic.twitter.com/N6Zhktunk1
— Arthur Morgan (@ArthurM40330824) October 7, 2024
The Ukrainian Ministry of Reconstruction had previously informed that the Russian army in the Black Sea port of Pivdenny had already attacked a ship loaded with almost six thousand tons of corn intended for export on the night of Sunday.
Nothing happened to anyone from the fifteen-member crew consisting of Syrians and Egyptians. The ship Paresa, sailing under the flag of the state of Saint Kitts and Nevis, had a “completely civilian cargo”, the ministry emphasized.
In the case of the Paresa ship, the Ukrainian Department for Reconstruction added that it was the twentieth civilian vessel damaged in Russian attacks. In September, Russia attacked a ship transporting wheat to Egypt across the Black Sea. A few days later, it destroyed a vessel flying the flag of the Caribbean state of Antigua and Barbuda.
Ukraine is a key producer of grain, it is often referred to as the granary of Europe, and countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia rely on its affordable supply of agricultural products. The large-scale Russian invasion in 2022 dealt a heavy blow to Ukrainian agriculture and, in addition, threatened the safe navigation of ships in the Black Sea.
After the invasion of the neighboring country, Russia blocked the Black Sea shipping routes through which Ukraine exported food, however, in the first year of the war, Kiev partially resumed exports by sea thanks to the grain agreement mediated by Turkey and the UN. However, Moscow did not extend its validity last year. Kyiv subsequently established its own temporary maritime corridor, which leads along the coast and further into Romanian territorial waters and Turkey. The Ministry of Reconstruction states that during the existence of this route, more than 2,500 ships with more than 70 million tons of cargo passed through it.
