Port of Izmail, Ukraine. Credit: watcher fox \/ Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n
Russian Drones hit Ukrainian\u00a0Port, Damage Panama-Flagged Vessel, Officials Say<\/p>\n
April 14 (Reuters)\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Russian drones attacked Ukraine\u2019s Izmail\u00a0port\u00a0in the southern Odesa region overnight\u00a0and damaged a\u00a0civilian Panama-flagged vessel, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Several strikes were recorded\u00a0at the\u00a0port\u00a0area, Ukraine\u2019s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said, adding that separate infrastructure elements and equipment were also damaged.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe enemy is once again deliberately striking critical infrastructure and logistics in the Odesa region,\u201d Kuleba said on the Telegram messaging app.<\/p>\n
One of the strikes caused a fire, which was quickly extinguished, he said.<\/p>\n
The Ukrainian\u00a0Sea\u00a0Ports Authority said the\u00a0port\u00a0continued to operate.<\/p>\n
Izmail lies on the Danube at the southwestern tip of Ukraine and faces Romanian territory on the other riverbank. It has become an important and frequently hit logistical area for<\/p>\n
The Ukrainian navy said the attacks caused a fire on the \u201cLADY MARIS\u201d vessel, which was en route to the\u00a0port\u00a0of Chornomorsk to load Ukrainian corn. The crew were unharmed, it added.<\/p>\n
Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said that a berth and a barge were damaged at the\u00a0port.<\/p>\n
In the surrounding region, the strikes destroyed a car repair shop and triggered a fire that consumed two passenger buses and seven cars, Kiper said.<\/p>\n
Six private\u00a0houses also\u00a0came under attack, with their roofs damaged. An ambulance was also damaged, Kiper said, adding that no one was hurt in the attack.<\/p>\n
Regional prosecutors said in a later statement that a 51-year-old man was hospitalized because of the attack.<\/p>\n
Ukraine\u2019s air force said Russia had launched four missiles and 129 drones at the country since Monday evening. The air defense units downed or neutralized one missile and 114 drones, it added.<\/p>\n
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine\u2019s maritime export\u00a0routes during the four-year-old war, striking\u00a0ports vital to foreign trade and the wartime economy.<\/p>\n