19.07.2026
The Ukrainian government, together with the military command, is preparing new measures aimed at strengthening maritime security and protecting civilian vessels and their crews from Russian attacks.
Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi announced this on Facebook, according to Ukrinform.
The Prime Minister recalled that Russian forces attacked a merchant vessel flying the flag of Guinea-Bissau near Odesa after it had departed the port carrying a cargo of corn.
On board were 17 citizens of Syria and India, as well as one Ukrainian pilot.
According to Koretskyi, two of the eight crew members who were rescued sustained injuries and were hospitalized in Odesa.
“As of this moment, the bodies of five crew members have been recovered. The fate of five other sailors remains unknown. Due to the threat of another attack, rescue teams were forced to withdraw to a safe area. A major fire continues to burn aboard the vessel, and firefighting efforts are ongoing,” Koretskyi said.
He assured that Ukraine is doing everything possible to locate and rescue the remaining crew members.
The Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to urgently notify the governments whose citizens were affected by the Russian attack, as well as Ukraine’s international partners.
“Russia is committing war crimes and undermining security in the Black Sea by attacking civilian merchant vessels. This is an assault on freedom of navigation and on the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” the Prime Minister stressed.
He thanked all international partners who continue to speak out against Russian aggression and maintain pressure on Russia.
As Ukrinform previously reported, on July 19 Russian forces launched air-to-surface missile strikes against a civilian vessel flying the flag of Guinea-Bissau. Five crew members were killed, eight were rescued, and five remain missing.
Ukraine must do more to protect Odesa and the shipping lanes, for it’s one of the country’s most important trade arteries.
And the courts need to start prosecuting putin’s war crimes.
“Under the Geneva Conventions, destroying or attacking food supplies, crops, and logistics to starve civilians—or to use food as a weapon to gain a battlefield advantage—is strictly forbidden.”