A Russian missile strike on a cargo vessel carrying corn near Ukraine’s southern port of Odesa has killed 10 people, marking one of the deadliest attacks in the latest escalation of violence in the Black Sea.
The overnight attack targeted the Golden Leo, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship with a crew from India and Syria.
According to Ukraine’s seaports authority, nine crew members and one maritime pilot were killed, while eight others were rescued after an overnight search-and-rescue operation.
Confirming the incident on Monday, Ukraine’s navy said the attack sparked a major rescue effort as emergency responders battled the blaze and searched for survivors.
The Golden Leo is owned by Mumbai-based Ocean Grace Shipping Ltd, although its manager, Friends Shipping Co. SA, has yet to comment on the incident. Russia has also not issued any official statement.
Ukrainian authorities said the victims are believed to have died from suffocation and fire-related injuries.
The attack comes amid renewed fighting in the Black Sea, where both Russia and Ukraine have intensified strikes on strategic shipping routes and port infrastructure.
The latest attack has also renewed concerns over global food security. Both Russia and Ukraine are among the world’s leading grain exporters, while Ukraine, once responsible for about 11 per cent of global corn exports, has lost roughly a third of its grain export capacity through Black Sea ports because of repeated missile and drone attacks.
The Ukrainian attacks have forced Russia, the world’s top grain exporter, to limit shipping in the Sea of Azov, a route that handles about a quarter of its grain exports.