A Russian missile killed five foreign sailors off the coast of Odesa

As a result of a Russian missile strike on the evening of July 19 near Odesa, a merchant ship flying the flag of Guinea-Bissau and carrying corn was damaged.

According to Oleg Kipper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, a fire broke out on the ship. 

During the search, rescuers found the bodies of five people. The fate of five other sailors remains unknown. Search operations are ongoing. Eight crew members, some of whom are injured, were evacuated to shore by the Ukrainian Navy and the Maritime Search and Rescue Brigade.

Oleg Kipper emphasized that the enemy continues to deliberately attack merchant ships in the Black Sea, posing a direct threat to civilians and civilian shipping.

On the night of July 20 (beginning at 6:00 p.m. on July 19), the enemy attacked Ukraine with two X-59/69 guided air-to-ground missiles launched from the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and 94 Shahed-type strike unmanned aerial vehicles (including jet-powered ones), Gerber, and Italmas, as well as “Banderole” loitering munitions and “Parody”-type decoy drones. According to preliminary data, as of 8:00 a.m., air defense forces had neutralized 81 enemy drones of the Shahed, Gerber, Italmas, and other types in the north, south, and east of the country. One missile and nine attack drones were confirmed to have struck nine locations. Additionally, one missile failed to reach its target.

The day before, one of the enemy missiles struck an amusement park. The strike destroyed fishermen’s homes and damaged six passenger cars. The death of a 16-year-old boy has been confirmed. Twelve other people were injured, including a 2-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl. 

Ten of the injured remain in the hospital; doctors assess the condition of four of them as serious. The child was diagnosed with an acute stress reaction—she received the necessary care and is now continuing treatment on an outpatient basis.

Кирило Бойко