Russian Strike on Turkish Cargo Ship Leaving Odesa Kills 10

A Russian missile strike on a Turkish-owned cargo ship departing Odesa on Sunday, July 19, killed 10 people, including foreign crew members and a Ukrainian port pilot, Ukrainian authorities said.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces launched three Kh-59/Kh-69 cruise missiles during the attack. One missile struck the starboard side of the Golden Leo, a Turkish-owned merchant vessel sailing under the flag of Guinea-Bissau, igniting a fire.

The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) said the bulk carrier had aboard 17 crew members from Syria and India, as well as a Ukrainian port pilot, when it was hit shortly after departing Odesa with a cargo of corn.

The strike killed 10 people, including the 66-year-old pilot and 9 foreign crew members. Eight sailors were rescued and hospitalized in Odesa.

The Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office said the victims ranged in age from 19 to 53. Prosecutors have opened a war crimes investigation under Article 438 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, which covers violations of the laws and customs of war resulting in death.

Mykola Kalashnyk, Ukraine’s Minister for Communities and Territories Development, said the strike targeted international civilian shipping and was another attempt by Moscow to disrupt global food supplies.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it had struck “two bulk carrier-type seagoing vessels carrying military cargo” in the Port of Odesa but provided no evidence to support the assertion.

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The attack comes amid a sharp escalation in Russian strikes on Ukraine’s maritime infrastructure. According to the USPA, Russian forces attacked 23 port infrastructure facilities and 17 civilian vessels during the first two weeks of July alone, killing 11 people, including port workers and foreign sailors.

The repeated attacks have disrupted grain exports, with some shipowners reportedly refusing to send vessels to Ukraine’s Black Sea ports because of the growing security risks.

Russian forces launched a series of strikes on Odesa and the region’s port infrastructure on July 18, damaging civilian facilities and hitting a foreign commercial vessel, Ukrainian officials said.

Odesa Regional Military Administration Head Oleh Kiper said Russian forces targeted the region’s port infrastructure, striking a commercial vessel flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda in the Black Sea. One person was killed and three others were injured.

The attack also damaged buildings, fuel tanks, and warehouses.

Kiper said Russian forces launched a second strike while emergency crews were responding to the initial attack. The follow-up strike damaged specialized rescue equipment, but no emergency personnel were injured.

The attack marked the second strike on a foreign commercial vessel in the Odesa region within 24 hours.

On Friday evening, Russian forces launched a missile strike on the Port of Odesa, damaging a civilian vessel flying the flag of the Marshall Islands. The missile struck the ship’s superstructure, sparking a fire and injuring 4 members of its 17-person crew. The injured sailors received medical treatment at the scene.