A merchant vessel sailing under the Panamanian flag was struck in a Russian drone attack in the Black Sea near Ukraine, resulting in at least one fatality, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba.
He stated that the strike triggered a fire aboard the ship and left one crew member dead. The victim was identified as a 58-year-old Egyptian national who served as the vessel’s cook.
The ship had a total of nine crew members on board, including citizens of Egypt, Turkey, and India. Ukrainian officials said the vessel was en route to Ukraine when it came under attack. Following the strike, it sustained severe damage and was unable to continue its journey.
“The strike caused a fire on board and one crew member died,” Kuleba said, adding that the vessel had been heading toward Ukraine at the time of the incident. Authorities described the attack as part of a broader wave of Russian strikes targeting maritime and infrastructure assets in the region.
Ukrainian authorities also reported that two additional merchant vessels, flying the flags of Belize and Palau, were targeted during the same overnight attacks. No confirmed details were provided regarding possible injuries or the extent of damage to those ships.
