ODESSA (dpa-AFX) – According to the Ukrainian army, Russia fired on a cargo ship flying the flag of the West African Republic of Liberia in one of the Black Sea ports in the Odessa region. According to a report from the Southern Military Command, a Ukrainian pilot on board the ship was killed in the attack on Wednesday. Three Filipino crew members and a Ukrainian port employee were injured. A Russian fighter jet used a Ch-31P missile against the civilian freighter as it was entering one of the ports.
Exterior and interior photos of the ship released by the military showed debris and other effects of the impact. The army did not say exactly which ship it was or in which port it happened. Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Olexander Kubrakow stated that the ship was supposed to transport iron ore to China. Ukrainian media suspected that it could be the freighter “Kmax Ruler”. However, the information could not be independently verified.
Russia has blocked Ukraine’s Black Sea ports as part of its war of aggression. In July, the Russians did not extend an international agreement for the export of Ukrainian agricultural exports from a total of three ports. Ukraine then set up a temporary corridor for civilian ships to use at their own risk./ash/DP/zb