[90363] Russian attack in the Black Sea: Foreign national killed and five injured aboard commercial vessels

Russian attack on civilian ships in the Black Sea

During the night between June 18 and 19, Russian forces carried out a drone attack against two foreign civilian ships that had departed from the ports of Odesa. According to reports from the Ministry of Restoration of Ukraine, the vessels were sailing under the flags of Panama and Saint Kitts and Nevis. As a result of the attack, a crew member on the Panamanian ship was killed, and two other sailors were injured. On the second ship, three additional crew members were injured.

Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, confirmed the details and noted that despite the severe incident, the ships managed to resume their movement and port infrastructure continues to operate under strict security protocols. Additional sources, including Operatyvnyi ZSU, emphasized that this was a deliberate attack on civilian targets as part of the Russian campaign.

The incident received extensive coverage in Ukrainian media channels identified with pro-government positions, such as Ukraine NOW and ҐРУНТ, which strongly condemned the attack as an act of terror against civilian shipping. Officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba, noted that one of the injured is in serious condition. Despite the damage, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority stated that the situation is under control and commercial activity is continuing under security monitoring.