Russian forces struck a foreign-flagged cargo ship in the Black Sea near Odesa overnight on July 18, killing one crew member and wounding three others who were hospitalized, according to Oleg Kiper, head of the Odesa regional military administration. The vessel was sailing under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda.
Ukraine's Air Force said the Russian military used two Iskander-M ballistic missiles, two Oniks anti-ship missiles, three Kh-59/69 guided missiles, and 90 attack drones in the barrage. One missile and 69 drones were intercepted, the Air Force reported. The main target was Odesa.
Hours earlier, Russian forces struck ports in the Odesa region with missiles, damaging a vessel under the flag of the Marshall Islands. All 17 crew members, who are Philippine nationals, were evacuated, and four were injured, Kiper said.
Ukraine's Navy said the targeted vessel was the dry cargo ship Venturo, which lost the ability to continue its voyage. Navy boat crews rescued 17 Philippine survivors, The Insider reported, citing the Navy's Telegram channel.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed it struck a container ship in the port of Chornomorsk that was allegedly unloading ammunition, a dry cargo ship near Snake Island transporting supplies for Ukraine's armed forces, and port infrastructure in Odesa used for unloading fuel and lubricants, Meduza reported. Kyiv has repeatedly said Russian forces attack foreign commercial vessels.
In late June, Ukraine sent a letter to member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) detailing the number of attacks on commercial ships in 2026: five in January, five in March, 24 in April, 14 in May, and 11 as of June 22, The Insider reported. Since February 2022, Kyiv says, 967 port infrastructure facilities have been damaged or partially destroyed, 206 commercial ships have been damaged, and 264 civilians have been killed or wounded.