Ukraine's port authority reported that the attacks on Monday targeted two civilian vessels: one flying the Marshall Islands flag and another flagged in Guinea-Bissau, both en route to ports in the Odessa region.
Ukraine's navy confirmed that the cargo ship KSL Deyang, Chinese-owned with an all-Chinese crew and flying the Marshall Islands flag, was hit. Photos released by the navy show scorch marks on one side of the hull.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media: "Drones attacked Odessa, and one of them hit a vessel owned by China. The Russians could not have been unaware of which ship was at sea."
According to Ukrainian navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk, no crew members were injured. The ship then continued its voyage to the port of Pivdennyi in Odessa province to load iron ore. Pletenchuk said: "The vessel was coming in to load cargo. After being hit by a Shahed drone at night, the crew handled the aftermath themselves. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the ship continued to its destination port."
The attacks occurred amid Russia's ongoing targeting of civilian ships in the Odessa port area since its invasion of Ukraine four years ago. President Zelenskyy said Russian forces struck Ukrainian territory overnight with 524 drones and 22 missiles, including ballistic and cruise missiles.
The incident came just a day before President Putin's two-day visit to Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. China has repeatedly called for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine but has never condemned Russia for sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022, positioning itself as neutral.
