Russian drone strikes hit two foreign vessels in Odesa region

Russia has attacked two foreign-flagged civilian vessels with drones in the southern Odesa region, killing a Syrian national and injuring another, Ukrainian officials said on Friday.



Moscow has stepped up attacks on Ukraine's maritime export arteries over the last two months as retaliation for attacks on "shadow fleet" tankers heading to Russia to export its ‍oil.



Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said in a statement that one ship had been sailing along Ukraine's maritime export corridor to pick up a grain cargo at the port of Chornomorsk, and was under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.



The other, near the Odesa port, was under the flag of the Comoros Islands and was carrying soybeans.



The deep-water seaports in Odesa region are crucial for Ukraine's commodity-heavy economy to export its products.



"This is yet another indication that Russia is deliberately targeting civilian objects, international shipping and food logistics," Kuleba wrote.