Ukraine war briefing: Chinese ship hit on way in to Odesa port, says Zelenskyy

"Russian drones hit a Chinese ship as part of strikes on civilian vessels approaching Ukraine's Odesa ports on the Black Sea on Monday, Ukrainian authorities said. The Ukrainian navy described the Ksl Deyang as a Chinese-owned cargo ship sailed by Chinese crew under the Marshall Islands flag. The Deyang was heading to load iron ore concentrate in Ukraine's Pivdennyi port in the Odesa region, Reuters reported, citing a source."

"The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said a Russian drone hit the Chinese-owned vessel. It reportedly sailed on after the attack. Ukraine's seaports authority said another ship sailing under the Guinea-Bissau flag was hit, while the Odesa governor, Oleh Kiper, said separately that a Russian attack hit a Panama-flagged civilian vessel heading to Ukraine's Chornomorsk port. No one was injured, the crew extinguished the resulting fire and the vessel continued on its way."

"In particular, we have recorded attempts to organise the export of grain from the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea and, regrettably, other forms of economic exploitation of the peninsula involving entities from the United States. Zelenskyy said Moscow was also trying to bring investment from democratic countries into Russia's Arctic oil and gas projects."

"By turning Belarus into its nuclear staging ground near Nato borders, the Kremlin is de facto legitimising the proliferation of nuclear weapons worldwide and setting a dangerous precedent for other authoritarian regimes, the ministry said. Kyiv urged its western allies to tighten sanctions against Moscow and Minsk."

Russian drones struck a Chinese-owned cargo ship approaching Ukraine’s Odesa ports on the Black Sea. The Ksl Deyang, sailing under the Marshall Islands flag with Chinese crew, was hit while heading to load iron ore concentrate at the Pivdennyi port. The vessel reportedly continued sailing after the attack, and no injuries were reported. Ukraine’s seaports authority also reported a hit to another civilian ship under the Guinea-Bissau flag, and the Odesa governor reported a separate strike on a Panama-flagged vessel heading to Chornomorsk. Ukraine condemned tactical nuclear weapons drills in Belarus, calling the deployment a major challenge to global security and urging Western allies to tighten sanctions against Moscow and Minsk.

Read at www.theguardian.com