Ukraine said Friday that Russian strikes targeted two cargo vessels off its southern Black Sea coast, killing a Syrian crew member aboard one of the ships.
Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration Oleksii Kuleba said on Telegram that one vessel was struck near the port of Odesa while carrying soybeans, while another had been heading to the southern port of Chornomorsk to load grain.
“Russia committed another act of terror against civilian shipping. Two ships were hit,” Kuleba said, describing it as “another example of Russia deliberately targeting civilian objects, international shipping and food logistics.”
He confirmed that a Syrian citizen had died on the ship hit near the port of Odesa, adding “rescue units have been sent to the scene.”
“Ukraine is doing everything possible to guarantee security and fulfil export obligations, despite constant attacks,” Kuleba finished.
Kyiv has on numerous occasions accused Moscow of targeting cargo ships carrying food goods to and from Ukraine across the Black Sea.
On Dec. 14, it accused Russia of striking a Turkish vessel transporting sunflower oil in the Black Sea just one day after a Russian attack sparked a fire on a Turkish-owned ship at a Ukrainian port carrying fresh fruits, vegetables and other food supplies.
President Volodymyr Zelensky described the assault, which took place in Ukraine’s exclusive economic zone, as “a strike against food security.”
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry issued an urgent statement at the time reiterating “the need for an arrangement to prevent escalation in the Black Sea, including ensuring maritime safety and suspending attacks targeting energy and port infrastructure.”
It came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Vladimir Putin for a “limited ceasefire” on attacks on ports and energy facilities during face-to-face talks that month.
Moscow had previously threatened to cut Ukraine off from the sea in response to its drone attacks on Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of tankers used to circumvent sanctions and export oil, something the Kremlin dubbed “piracy.”