Russian strikes on Turkish cargo ship kill five: Kyiv

KYIV - Ukraine’s navy said on July 19 that Russian missile strikes on a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying grain had killed five people on board, while another five crew members were missing.

Russia launched three cruise missiles at the Golden Leo, which flies the flag of Guinea-Bissau, as it was “leaving the combat zone with a cargo of grain”, the navy said in a statement.

“This is yet another deliberate strike by Russia against an unarmed civilian vessel flying a foreign flag that posed no military threat whatsoever,” said the statement.

“The attack constitutes an act of terrorism against peaceful navigation and a gross violation of international humanitarian law,” it added.

A statement from Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said the crew had included citizens of Syria and India.

“A Ukrainian maritime pilot was killed, as well as four crew members, eight crew members were evacuated and five still remain missing,” he added.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said the crew had included citizens of Syria and India. PHOTO: ANDRII_SYBIHA/X

“While the world is still responding to Russia’s brutal overnight attack on Kyiv, Moscow continues its campaign of terror throughout the day,” he said in the statement, posted on X.

Russia fired two dozen ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight on July 19, killing one person and wounding 16.

Russia’s armed forces regularly bombard Ukraine’s port infrastructure, particularly the Odesa region on the Black Sea.

Ukraine has stepped up its strikes on shipping in the Sea of Azov, further east, an important maritime route for Russian farming products sold abroad and a supply route for Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

On July 17, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, during a visit to Kyiv to promote mediation efforts, said Ankara did not want to see the Ukraine war spread further into the Black Sea. AFP