Russian drone hits commercial vessel carrying rapeseed oil in Black Sea, one killed

A Russian drone attacked a commercial vessel carrying rapeseed oil in the Black Sea on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring seven others, the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleg Kiper, said.

“The commercial vessel, flying the flag of the Marshall Islands and loaded with rapeseed oil, was damaged as a result of a strike by a Russian UAV,” Kiper said, according to RBC-Ukraine. The strike damaged the vessel’s superstructure and sparked a fire.

The Odesa Regional Military Administration said deliberate strikes on civilian vessels and port infrastructure are a gross violation of international law, adding that such attacks create additional risks for civilian shipping and could pose a threat to global food security.

The strike is the latest in a series of Russian attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea. It follows the sinking of the Turkish-operated cargo ship Royad Mammadov off Romania’s coast on October 5, which killed two crew members.

Türkiye and the United Nations are preparing a new round of talks between Ukraine and Russia on a Black Sea ceasefire, expected to address security guarantees for commercial shipping, ports and energy infrastructure. The negotiations are planned for early October, with mediation by representatives of Switzerland’s Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.

Sources: RBC-Ukraine (Oct 6) | Latifundist (Oct 6, 11:23, citing Oleg Kiper) | United24 Media (Oct 6, corroborating ongoing civilian-shipping attacks)