A Russian attack on the port of Odesa kills one person, injures eight and damages civilian ships

Russia attacked the port infrastructure of the southern city of Odessa with a ballistic missile on October 14, killing one person and wounding eight others, Governor Oleh Kiper said.

The attack damaged two civilian ships: the Belize-flagged NS Moon and the Palau-flagged Optima, Kiper said. Russia targeted the latter ship last week on October 7.

In recent days, Russia has stepped up attacks on port infrastructure in Odesa Oblast, damaging several civilian ships.

“The aim of these attacks is to reduce our export potential,” Oleksii Kuleba, the minister for the development of communities, territories and infrastructure, said on Telegram last week.

“This is a deliberate attempt to provoke a food crisis in those parts of the world that are directly dependent on Ukrainian grain supplies.”

According to Kuleba, today’s rocket attack on Odesa also damaged a grain warehouse, cargo cranes and machinery. The victims are Ukrainian port workers.

Over the past three months, Russia has carried out nearly 60 such attacks, damaging or destroying nearly 300 port infrastructure facilities and 22 civilian ships, Kuleba said on October 10.

More than 80 civilians were killed or injured as a result of these attacks.

Kiev set up a new export route in the Black Sea last year after Russia unilaterally canceled the Black Sea grain deal. Initially intended as humanitarian corridor to allow the departure of ships stranded there since the beginning of the large-scale war, it has since developed into a full-fledged trade route.

Traveling along the route, Ukrainian ships regularly run the risk of being attacked by Russia. Since the start of all-out war, mines have also been floating along the trade route, posing further risks to maritime transport.

Insurance against war risks is increasing after recent Russian attacks on foreign ships in the Black Sea, Bloomberg reports

War risk insurance premiums for ships transiting Ukraine’s Black Sea shipping corridor have risen by about 33 percent following the recent Russian attacks on foreign ships, Bloomberg reported on October 10, citing market sources.