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Ukraine has accused Russia of carrying out a missile strike on a Turkish-owned cargo ship departing the port of Odesa, with Ukrainian officials putting the death toll at 10 after an overnight search and rescue operation.
Ukrainian authorities said Russia fired three Kh-59/Kh-69 cruise missiles at the Golden Leo, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged bulk carrier owned by a Turkish company.
The vessel had loaded a cargo of grain and was leaving the combat zone when one missile struck the starboard side of its superstructure, sparking a fire.
The ship was carrying an 18-member crew consisting of Indian, Syrian, and Ukrainian nationals.
The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) said the overnight search and rescue operation had concluded after eight crew members were rescued and brought ashore.
The authority added that 10 people, including a USPA maritime pilot, were killed.
"We express our sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed," the agency said, condemning "another Russian war crime targeting civilian shipping, international trade and freedom of navigation."
Ukraine's Navy described the attack as another deliberate strike on an unarmed civilian vessel sailing under a foreign flag.
"This is yet another deliberate strike by Russia against an unarmed civilian vessel flying a foreign flag that posed no military threat whatsoever," the navy said.
It added that the attack constituted "an act of terrorism against peaceful navigation and a gross violation of international humanitarian law."
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the crew included Syrian and Indian citizens and that a Ukrainian maritime pilot and four crew members were killed. Eight people were rescued, while five remained missing.
"Russia has now struck a civilian vessel navigating Ukraine's maritime corridor," Sybiha wrote on X. "A civilian ship. An international crew. A route serving global food security. Putin saw another target."
Sybiha also claimed Russia had attacked another foreign merchant vessel flying the Antigua and Barbuda flag in the Black Sea a day earlier, killing one person and injuring three others.
He said Ukraine's Foreign Ministry was notifying the International Maritime Organization, partner countries and the governments of the victims' home states about the latest strike.
Sybiha also reiterated Kyiv's call for an international monitoring mission at Ukraine's ports to document attacks on civilian shipping.
Referring to a separate overnight assault on Kyiv, Sybiha wrote that "while the world is still responding to Russia's brutal overnight attack on Kyiv, Moscow continues its campaign of terror throughout the day."
He also called for stronger sanctions, lower Russian oil revenues and greater international pressure on Moscow.
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