Photo: EPA
Russian forces carried out drone strikes overnight on May 18, hitting three civilian vessels en route to ports in the Greater Odesa area via Ukraine’s maritime corridor, according to Odesa Regional Governor Oleh Kiper.
Two of the vessels, sailing under the flags of the Marshall Islands and Guinea-Bissau, were struck by Shahed-type kamikaze drones. Fires broke out on board following the impact, but crew members managed to extinguish them. No casualties were reported.
Kiper also said that later in the morning, a third vessel flying the Panamanian flag and heading toward the port of Chornomorsk in Odesa region was attacked by a strike drone. The ship sustained damage and a fire, which was also brought under control by the crew. All three vessels reportedly continued their voyage to port.
Separately, Russian drone attacks targeted several districts of Odesa overnight. In the Kyivskyi and Prymorskyi districts, three residential buildings were hit. A 59-year-old man and an 11-year-old boy were injured.
