Koretsky announced measures to protect ships following a missile attack by the Russian Federation
This was announced by the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Serhiy Koretskyi.
According to the head of government, the new measures are intended to enhance the safety of civilian vessels and seafarers in the Black Sea. Koretskyy did not specify exactly which measures are being considered by the military and the Cabinet of Ministers.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been instructed to immediately inform the states whose citizens were killed, injured or are missing as a result of the Russian strike. Ukraine will also appeal to its international partners.
Koretskyi described the attack as a war crime, an assault on freedom of navigation and a violation of the principles of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
What is known about the strike on the GOLDEN LEO
On the evening of 19 July, Russian forces attacked the civilian dry cargo vessel GOLDEN LEO near Odesa; the vessel is owned by a Turkish company and flies the flag of Guinea-Bissau.
According to the Ukrainian Navy, three X-59/X-69 cruise missiles were fired at the vessel. The strike hit the starboard side of the superstructure, after which a major fire broke out on the dry cargo ship.
The vessel had left a Ukrainian port after being loaded with maize and was heading out of the combat zone. On board were 17 Syrian and Indian nationals, as well as a Ukrainian pilot.
The military and representatives of the Maritime Search and Rescue Service rescued eight people. Two of them were injured and were taken to hospital in Odesa.
As of the evening of 19 July, rescuers had recovered the bodies of five sailors. The fate of five other crew members remains unknown. Due to the threat of a further Russian strike, those involved in the operation were forced to withdraw to a safe zone.
Second attack on a civilian vessel in two days
The day before, on 18 July, Russia attacked a foreign merchant vessel flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda in the Black Sea. One person was killed, and three other crew members were injured and hospitalised.
During the same shelling, buildings, tanks and warehouses forming part of the port infrastructure in the Odesa region were damaged. Russian forces also launched a second strike whilst the aftermath of the attack was being dealt with, damaging the rescue services’ specialist equipment. The personnel were taking cover, so none of the service staff were injured.
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