Russian drones struck civilian merchant ships heading for Ukrainian ports; one foreign national was killed.
According to Ukrinform, the Ukrainian Navy reported this on Facebook.
“A massive fire broke out on the Turkish dry cargo ship VICTRESS (flying the Panamanian flag) as a result of a strike by an enemy UAV. There were nine crew members on board—citizens of Egypt, Turkey, and India,” the statement reads.
Given the difficult situation and the threat of the fire spreading further, crews of Ukrainian Navy boats successfully carried out a rescue operation to evacuate the dry cargo ship’s crew; however, “there are casualties among them.”
Later, Deputy Prime Minister for Recovery and Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksii Kuleba clarified on Facebook that on the night of June 22, two civilian merchant ships heading for Ukrainian ports were struck as a result of an attack by Russian drones.
According to him, the drone strike caused a fire on a ship flying the Panamanian flag. A crew member — a 58-year-old cook and Egyptian citizen—was killed.
Eight sailors, including citizens of Turkey and India, were forced to evacuate onto a liferaft. The vessel sustained significant damage and was rendered unseaworthy.
Also that night, the Russians attacked ships flying the flags of Palau and Belize. There were no casualties, and the damaged vessels continued on their way.
“This is yet another war crime committed by Russia. Attacks on the merchant fleet and humanitarian maritime routes pose a direct threat to global food and economic security and require a decisive response from the international community,” Kuleba emphasized.
As reported by Ukrinform, Russian forces launched an “Iskander” ballistic missile at an agricultural enterprise in the Odesa region, killing one person and wounding three others.
