One Ukrainian dies and five foreigners are injured in a Russian attack on a cargo ship in Odessa

MADRID 8 Oct. () –

At least one Ukrainian man has been killed and five foreign citizens have been injured this Monday in a Russian attack with ballistic missiles against a Palau-flagged ship (‘Optima’) in the port city of Odessa, on the shores of the Black Sea, barely a month after a cargo ship was hit by a missile launched by the Russian Armed Forces while sailing south of Ukraine with more than 26 tons of grain for Egypt.

The governor of Odessa, Ole Kiper, explained that the target was the port infrastructure: “A 60-year-old Ukrainian man, an employee of a private cargo handling company, has died. Five other foreign citizens were injured, four of them in serious condition. serious and the fifth mild,” he indicated through his Telegram channel.

“Russian terrorists are again trying to disrupt the work of the grain broker. This is the second attack in recent days against a civilian ship in the ports of Odessa. Law enforcement agencies are recording the consequences of another crime committed by the Russians,” Kiper said.

The deputy director of the president’s office, Oleksi Kuleba, explained that the ship arrived during the day to be loaded but “in a few hours the aggressor country made it a target.” For this reason, he considered that “it is important” that the port infrastructure be protected “from terrorism” and that free and safe navigation be guaranteed.

“They are once again trying to destroy shipping in the Black Sea and undermine Ukrainian efforts to ensure food security. The consequences of this can only be greater instability in sensitive regions of the import-dependent world and unrest in international relations.” , he declared.

Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian Armed Forces have attacked various targets in the Black Sea, but the loss of a bomber in April would have made them now more “cautious.”