Russia again pummeled Ukraine with attacks overnight, with one strike hitting a Panama-flagged vessel in a Ukrainian port near the NATO border. Ukrainian officials reported several strikes from Vladimir Putin’s forces across the port of Izmail in the southern Odesa region.
The civilian Panama-flagged ship was struck in the port on the River Danube. The strike was just half a mile from NATO territory across the Danube which separates Ukraine and Romania. The Russian assault on Izmail port also damaged a dock, barge and equipment, officials said.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said: “The enemy is once again deliberately striking critical infrastructure and logistics in the Odesa region.”
He said “several hits” were recorded around Izmail’s port but there were no casualties.
One of the strikes caused a fire which was quickly put out, Mr Kuleba added.
The extent of damage to the ship struck in the attacks was unclear and no immediate details were given about its cargo.
The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority confirmed the port continued to operate, the Reuters news agency reported.
Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said a building housing workshop, two passengers buses and seven cares were also destroyed in the strikes.
Six private buildings suffered damage to their roofs and an ambulance was hit, he said, adding there were no injuries.
Ukraine’s air force reported Russia had fired four missiles and 129 drones at the country overnight.
Regions across Ukraine were targeted, with one missile and 114 drones downed by air defence units, it said.
In the Kharkiv region, a 74-year-old woman was killed in a Russian attack.
This followed the end of a ceasefire announced by Mr Putin, which was broken 10,700 times in 32 hours, according to the Ukrainians.
Russia said a woman died in a Ukrainian strike on Yelets in the Lipetsk region.
Yelets is home to the Energia defence plant, which makes chemical-based power sources for multiple Russian weapons including Iskander-M ballistic missiles.
