A Russian airstrike struck a Turkish-operated vessel in a port located in Ukraine’s Black Sea region near Odesa, as confirmed by both Kyiv and the vessel’s operator on Friday.
This assault has reignited appeals from Ankara to cease attacks on port facilities, just hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had directly addressed the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Oleksiy Kuleba, Ukraine’s Restoration Minister, reported via Telegram that “Russia executed a missile strike on civilian port infrastructure in the Odesa region,” noting that a Turkish ferry sustained damage, although there were no reported injuries.
Cenk Shipping, the Turkish maritime company, issued a statement indicating that its ferry, “fully loaded with fresh produce and food supplies on the Karasu-Odesa route, came under aerial attack today at 16:00 local time, shortly after it had docked at Chornomorsk port.”
Social media images depicted the blue-and-white vessel engulfed in flames.
The ferry, measuring 185 meters in length, was registered under the Panamanian flag, based on information available on the company’s website.
Earlier on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remarked that “a civilian vessel in the port of Chornomorsk was damaged,” without specifying the ship’s identity.
He added on social media, “This once again demonstrates that the Russians not only fail to take the current diplomatic opportunities seriously but also persist in a war that aims to undermine normalcy in Ukraine.”
The attack arises amidst Turkey’s warnings in recent weeks about a “concerning escalation” in the Black Sea, following Ukraine’s claims of drone attacks on tankers linked to Russia in that region.
During face-to-face discussions with Putin on Friday, Erdoğan advocated for a “limited ceasefire” regarding assaults on ports and energy infrastructure amidst the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
In the wake of the strike, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry stated: “We reiterate the urgency of ending the war between Russia and Ukraine and highlight the necessity of establishing measures to prevent escalation in the Black Sea, including ensuring maritime safety and halting attacks on energy and port infrastructure.”
