Six killed as Russian forces launch targeted strike on civilian grain transport

Russian tactical aviation launched the missiles from the Black Sea, triggering air raid alerts across Odesa Oblast and resulting in several loud explosions near the coast.

The targeted vessel, the Golden Leo, flies the flag of Guinea-Bissau and is owned by a Turkish maritime company. According to the Ukrainian Navy, the ship was struck as it was actively navigating outward from the combat zone with its cargo of agricultural exports.

"Starboard side of the superstructure was targeted, sparking a severe fire on board. Five people were initially confirmed dead," the naval command statement noted before Minister Kalashnyk updated the official casualty toll.

"The fate of five other crew members remains unknown as search operations continue. The technical condition of the vessel is being assessed."

Units from the Ukrainian Navy and the Maritime Search and Rescue Service were immediately dispatched to extinguish the flames and evacuate survivors. As of 8:30 p.m., eight injured crew members had been successfully evacuated and transported to an Odesa hospital for emergency treatment.

"This is yet another deliberate strike by Russia against an unarmed civilian vessel under a foreign flag that posed absolutely no military threat. The attack is an act of terror against peaceful shipping and a flagrant violation of the norms of international humanitarian law," the Ukrainian Navy emphasized in a formal press release.

Emergency crews remain on-site as the search-and-rescue operation continues to search for the remaining missing mariners.