Russian armed forces struck three merchant ships in the Black Sea within hours of each other on Tuesday, killing three people and injuring three others as attacks on Odesa’s port infrastructure entered a fifth consecutive day. The first attack hit two vessels sailing under the flags of Tanzania and Liberia through a maritime corridor, killing the captain of one ship and injuring three crew members, according to Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, who reported the strike. The 11-member crew of the affected vessel was evacuated to shore. JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.A separate drone strike hit a third ship flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, killing two more people and sparking a fire that damaged the vessel’s superstructure. Preliminary investigation is still ongoing.“The enemy continues to deliberately attack civilian vessels in the waters of the Black Sea,” Kiper said, adding that “every such cynical strike by the enemy is a war crime against civilians, civilian shipping, and global food security.”Fifth day of attacks on Odesa portsUSPA reported that the strike came amid a fifth consecutive day of Russian attacks on the port infrastructure of Greater Odesa and civilian shipping. “This means that since the start of this wave of Russian attacks, nine people have now fallen victim to this terror,” the agency said earlier, though the death toll has now risen to 11.Russia has been striking Odesa with ballistic missiles and drones, deliberately targeting ports, vessels, and maritime workers, USPA said, adding that “Russia is once again demonstrating a complete disregard for international law.”