KYIV, Jan 9 (Reuters) – Russia has attacked two foreign-flagged civilian vessels with drones in the southern Odesa region, killing a Syrian national and injuring another, Ukrainian officials said on Friday.
Moscow has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s maritime export arteries over the last two months as retaliation for attacks on “shadow fleet” tankers heading to Russia to export its oil.
Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said in a statement that one ship had been sailing along Ukraine’s maritime export corridor to pick up a grain cargo at the port of Chornomorsk, and was under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The other, near the Odesa port, was under the flag of the Comoros Islands and was carrying soybeans.
The deep-water seaports in Odesa region are crucial for Ukraine’s commodity-heavy economy to export its products.
“This is yet another indication that Russia is deliberately targeting civilian objects, international shipping and food logistics,” Kuleba wrote.
He posted images that showed ships bearing the names Ladonna and Wael K on their hulls.
According to MarineTraffic, a ship tracking website, the Ladonna is a 157-metre Comoros-flagged bulk carrier and the Wael K is a 115-metre general cargo ship.
Ukraine’s seaport authority told Reuters on Wednesday that the number of Russian attacks on ports in the Odesa region had almost tripled from the previous year to 96 in 2025.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Writing by Max Hunder and Dan Peleschuk;Editing by Alison Williams and Kevin Liffey)
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