Russia-Ukraine War intensified on Friday after Russian forces launched fresh attacks on two Ukrainian Black Sea port cities, killing three people and damaging civilian vessels, according to Ukrainian officials.
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A Russian drone strike targeted port infrastructure in the southern city of Mykolaiv. According to regional prosecutors, the attack damaged three foreign-flagged civilian vessels.
Officials said one of the strikes killed two Ukrainian nationals who were aboard a foreign vessel.
Meanwhile, another Russian attack killed one man in Odesa, Ukraine’s largest seaport.
Odesa Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said a later strike hit a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel at one of the region’s ports. As a result, the attack sparked a fire and injured four of the ship’s 17 crew members.
Authorities safely evacuated the entire crew.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces struck Ukrainian port facilities in Odesa and Chornomorsk during overnight operations.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s Black Sea export routes throughout the war. However, recent attacks have increasingly focused on deepwater ports that handle much of Ukraine’s grain and commercial cargo.
Ukraine’s Seaports Authority said Russia struck ports and civilian vessels several times in July. According to the authority, the attacks killed 11 people, including port workers and foreign crew members.
Consequently, traders and analysts said the strikes have partially halted grain shipments and severely disrupted grain purchases at port terminals.
A separate Russian missile strike on a residential building in Odesa late Thursday killed two people and injured several others, local officials said.
Residents described frequent air raid alerts as Russian attacks continued across the region.
At the same time, Ukraine continued its own military operations in the Black Sea. Commander Robert Brovdi said Ukrainian forces struck 12 additional Russian vessels on Friday.
He added that Ukrainian forces have targeted 159 Russian vessels in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov this month.
In response, Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its forces struck 24 vessels used by the Ukrainian military during the past week.
