Newsletters
A Russian drone struck the Chinese-owned cargo vessel KSL DEYANG, sailing under a Marshall Islands flag, off Ukraine's coast in an overnight strike on Monday, Ukraine's Navy said.
No casualties were reported, and the crew managed to extinguish the fire. Meanwhile, Kyiv questioned Moscow's motives for targeting a Chinese vessel and crew, especially as Russian President Vladimir Putin travels to China for talks with Xi Jinping.
The KSL DEYANG was en route to Ukraine's Pivdennyi port in the Odesa region to load iron ore concentrate when it was struck.
The vessel was sailing without cargo at the time of the attack. It reportedly received minimal damage, as the crew managed to extinguish the fire, and no casualties were reported.
Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said on Facebook: "It is interesting what motivated the Russians when they decided to 'target' a Chinese merchant vessel with a 'Shahed' in our sea tonight. There were no casualties, but this is something new. 'A terrible mistake has occurred,' comrades?"
In a separate post, he wrote: "To deliberately strike a Chinese vessel with a Chinese crew before a trip to China. That is what you call Moscow's diplomacy."
In a statement on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated, "Russia’s overnight attack on Dnipro and the region lasted more than six hours. A missile strike damaged an apartment block, with other civilian infrastructure also heavily hit. The attack also targeted energy facilities and residential buildings across the region."
"Drones struck Odesa as well, and one of the UAVs hit a vessel owned by China. The Russians could not have been unaware of what vessel was at sea," he added.
"Overall, destruction was recorded across eight regions, and as of now, dozens of people across the country have been reported injured, including children. In total, the Russians used 524 attack drones and 22 missiles of various types in this strike, both ballistic and cruise missiles," Zelenskyy added.
"Russia relies on ballistic missiles to strike people, and that is precisely why we in Europe must do everything possible to ensure reliable protection against this. Europe must have its own anti-ballistic systems and be self-sufficient in the face of these threats. We repeat once again: we need our own anti-ballistic capabilities and stronger Ukrainian air defense right now," he concluded.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
7 min read
