Ukraine official says three killed in strikes on merchant ships

A senior Ukrainian official said Russian attacks on a merchant ship in southern Ukraine and two other merchant ships in the Black Sea killed three people on Tuesday, including one ship's captain.

Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa region's military administration, said on Telegram that a drone hit a civilian ship flying the flag of the Marshall Islands during an evening attack on port infrastructure in the Odesa region. He said a fire started on board and two people were killed.

Kiper earlier said two other merchant ships, flying Tanzanian and Liberian flags, were hit while sailing in the Black Sea. He said the captain of one of those ships was killed. He added that 11 remaining crew members were evacuated and that three of them were wounded.

Kiper said the ships hit in the Black Sea were using corridors designated for Ukrainian grain exports. He described the strikes as war crimes against civilians, civilian shipping and global food security.

The Russian army regularly targets Ukrainian port infrastructure, especially in the Odesa region. Ukrainian forces have also increased attacks on ships in the Sea of Azov, a route used for Russian agricultural products and for supplying annexed Crimea.