New measures to protect civilian shipping in the Black Sea are being developed in Ukraine. This initiative is a response to a tragic incident involving Russian weaponry and a peaceful merchant vessel that occurred near Odesa.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Kretsky confirmed that, together with the military command, decisions are being prepared to tighten safety protocols. The main goal is to protect civilian vessels and crews from repeated criminal attacks.
Details of the tragedy: the GOLDEN LEO vessel
On the evening of July 19, Russian forces launched a cruise missile attack on the civilian bulk carrier GOLDEN LEO. The vessel was sailing under the flag of Guinea-Bissau and had left the port of Odesa after being loaded with grain (corn).
There were 17 people on board: citizens of Syria and India, as well as a Ukrainian pilot. After the missile hit, a massive fire broke out on the ship. Despite the fire, sailors of the Ukrainian Navy managed to evacuate eight crew members. Two of the rescued were injured and hospitalized in Odesa hospitals.
According to the latest data, the bodies of five sailors have been found. The fate of five other crew members remains unknown. Due to the threat of a repeat attack, rescue operations were temporarily suspended, and rescuers retreated to a safe zone. The fire on the ship continues.
Political reaction and international resonance
The Prime Minister called the attack a war crime and a gross violation of international law norms. According to him, Russia's actions are deliberately undermining security in the Black Sea.
"Russia is committing war crimes and undermining Black Sea security by attacking civilian merchant ships. This is an attack on the freedom of navigation and the principles of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea," emphasized the head of government.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has been instructed to immediately inform the states whose citizens were affected by the attack, as well as the country's international partners. Kyiv states that it is doing everything possible to search for and rescue the remaining foreign citizens.
Escalation of threats in the region
The incident with the GOLDEN LEO became part of a series of attacks on civilian shipping. The day before, on July 18, Russian forces carried out a massive attack on the ports of the Odesa region. Then a merchant vessel under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda was hit.
Ukraine emphasizes that this is not an isolated incident, but a systemic threat to the freedom of navigation, requiring immediate and strict countermeasures from the state.
