Four Russian missile and drone attacks on the Odesa
region this week have killed 14 people and wounded around 20, according to
local officials. The strikes have hit merchant
ships and damaged port infrastructure in the region, which is a vital hub for Ukraine’s
agricultural exports through the Black Sea.
An attack on
Odesa late Wednesday killed nine people and hit a container ship sailing under
the Panamanian flag — the third attack
on a merchant vessel in four days, according to regional Gov. Oleh Kiper.
The apparent
Russian effort to frustrate Ukraine’s exports, which bring vital revenue for a
national economy battered by more than two years of war, coincided with a
renewed push by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to ensure continuing
military and financial support from his country’s Western partners.
Russia last year tore up an agreement that allowed
Ukraine — one of the world’s biggest suppliers of grain and other food staples,
especially to developing nations — to export produce safely through the Black
Sea.