A tragic incident occurred in the Black Sea, once again drawing the attention of the international community to the safety of maritime transport in the conflict zone. Russian armed forces struck an unarmed civilian vessel carrying grain. The attack resulted in casualties, and the ship itself is in critical condition.

Details of the attack on Golden Leo

According to the Ukrainian Navy, the target of the strike was the cargo ship Golden Leo. The vessel sails under the flag of Guinea-Bissau, but its owner is a Turkish company. At the time of the attack, the ship posed no military threat and was moving out of the combat zone with a cargo of food grain.

To destroy the vessel, Russian forces used three Kh-59/Kh-69 cruise missiles. The impact hit the area of the superstructure on the starboard side. Explosions ignited a fire on the deck, and the ship was enveloped in thick smoke. The technical condition of the hull and machinery is currently being assessed.

Human casualties and rescue operation

The cost of the error or intentional strike proved high. At least five people died as a result of the attack. The fate of five other crew members remains unknown — search operations are ongoing.

The Ukrainian Navy and the Maritime Search and Rescue Service were involved in saving the sailors. As of 20:30, eight injured sailors had been evacuated and taken to one of the hospitals in Odesa.

Kyiv's response: an act of terror

The Ukrainian Navy reacted sharply to the incident. The official statement emphasizes that this is not the first case of a targeted strike on an unarmed civilian vessel under a foreign flag.

"This is another targeted strike by Russia on an unarmed civilian vessel under a foreign flag, which posed no military threat. The attack is an act of terror against peaceful shipping and a gross violation of international humanitarian law norms," the document states.

Series of attacks on merchant shipping

The incident with the Golden Leo fits into a worrying series of events in recent weeks, when civilian vessels in the Black Sea have become targets for Russian strikes. The Ukrainian Navy recalls recent attacks:

  • July 17: a Russian drone struck the cargo ship Venturo under the flag of the Marshall Islands, which was standing in the port of Odesa.
  • July 18: during a massive attack on the ports of the Odesa region, a merchant vessel under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda came under fire.

These events indicate the systematic nature of threats to peaceful shipping in the region, which puts not only logistics chains but also the lives of civilian sailors at risk.