Ukrainian officials announced Friday that Russian drone strikes targeted three international merchant ships as they traveled through Ukraine’s Black Sea shipping corridor late Thursday and into the early morning hours.
Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba reported via Telegram that the attacks sparked fires aboard all three vessels, though ship crews managed to extinguish the flames.
According to Ukraine’s seaports authority, the targeted ships operated under flags from Vanuatu, the Comoros and Panama.
Ukrainian naval forces provided additional details about one vessel, the Ant, describing it as a Turkish-owned freight ship flying the Vanuatu flag. The navy said the ship was en route to Turkey after departing from a port in the Odesa region.
The attack on the Ant resulted in a blaze and forced the evacuation of two crew members who sustained injuries, naval officials reported. The vessel was carrying cargo when the strike occurred.
This latest assault continues Russia’s pattern of targeting Ukraine’s maritime trade routes throughout the conflict, which has lasted more than four years since Russia’s invasion began. These attacks have focused on ports crucial to Ukraine’s international commerce and wartime economic stability.
