Russia attacks Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, damages civilian ship, Kyiv says

KYIV, Ukraine – Russia attacked infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region on Tuesday, December 30, damaging a civilian ship and facilities in the Black Sea ports of Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said.

Kuleba said a civilian Panama-flagged ship loaded with grains was damaged, and that oil storage tanks were also hit. One person was wounded, he said on the Telegram app.

“This is yet another targeted attack by Russia on civilian port infrastructure. The enemy is trying to disrupt logistics and complicate shipping,” Kuleba said.

Despite the attacks, both ports continued to operate, he said.

Odesa and the wider nearby region are home to the Black Sea ports that are crucial for Ukraine’s foreign trade and the survival of its wartime economy.

Ukraine is a major global producer and exporter of agricultural products. During nearly four years of the war, the role of Odesa and its two other ports – Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk – as major trading hubs grew as other Ukrainian ports were destroyed, occupied, or disrupted by Russia’s forces.

In the past several months, maritime warfare between Ukraine and Russia has intensified. Both sides have attacked naval and commercial assets in the Black Sea and beyond.

Ukraine is increasingly using its sea drones for attacks on ships connected to Russia’s shadow fleet.

At the same time, Russia has stepped up its attacks on the city of Odesa and its port infrastructure. – Rappler.com