KIEV (Askume) – Ukraine accused Russia on Thursday of launching a missile attack in Black Sea waters near NATO member Romania, using strategic bombers to strike a civilian grain ship, ratcheting up tensions between Moscow and the military alliance.
President Zelensky said the ship carrying Ukrainian grain to Egypt was attacked by a Russian missile after leaving Ukrainian territorial waters at night. He said there were no casualties.
There was no immediate comment from Russia.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Tsibiha said the attack was a “blatant assault on freedom of navigation and global food security.” The Ukrainian navy said Russian Tupolev Tu-22 bombers fired several cruise missiles at 11:02 pm local time (2002 GMT) on Wednesday.
This is the first time since Moscow’s invasion in February 2022 that a missile has hit a civilian ship carrying grain at sea.
The incident comes as Zelenskyy is trying to curry favour with countries in the Global South, including countries such as Egypt, which Ukraine calls a destination for its food, and persuade them to join the West in supporting Ukraine’s war.
The attack comes as NATO allies are considering allowing Ukraine to launch deep-sea strikes against Russia, with Moscow warning the move would be met with a response. The West has accused Iran of supplying ballistic missiles to Russia, adding to the tension.
A bulk carrier flying the flag of St Kitts and Nevis was hit by a Russian missile after leaving the port of Chernomorsk in Ukraine’s Odessa region, British maritime security company Ambrey said in a report.
The port side of the ship was said to be damaged, including its cargo hold and crane.
The Navy identified the ship as the Aya Bulk Carrier.
Ship tracking data shows the ship’s last reported position was near the Romanian port of Constanta. The ship’s Athens-based manager, VRS Maritime Services, could not immediately be reached for comment.
The incident has fueled concerns about supply shortages in the Black Sea export region, helping strengthen wheat prices, traders said. U.S. futures rose 2% to a two-month high.
Images posted by Zelensky showed bent metal and other damage to the damaged crane.
World response
An industry source told Askume the attack occurred not far from the mouth of the Danube River. Ukrainian navy spokesman Dmytro Pletnchuk told Askume the ship was located in Romania’s maritime economic zone.
The maritime economic zone of a country is the area beyond its territorial waters.
Romanian naval officials said the ship had not entered its territorial waters and had not requested assistance in any way.
Zelensky wrote on X: “We are waiting for the world’s reaction. Wheat and food security should never be the target of missiles.”
Ukraine, a major global grain exporter, has had to fight Russia in the Black Sea to restore exports from its ports since Russia’s invasion imposed a de facto blockade.
Under a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey that collapsed last year, exports from the three Greater Odessa ports resumed later that year, albeit in reduced volumes.
In August 2023, Ukraine established its own shipping corridor after using naval drones and long-range weapons to counterattack the Russian Black Sea Fleet and expel its ships from the West Sea without Russian support.
The shipping corridor circles the western coast of the Black Sea before leaving Ukrainian waters and heading south to Romania and Bulgaria.
