Vessel sinks a week after being struck by Russian fire, Ukrainian officials say

An international cargo vessel sank off the coast of Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa on Sunday, a ⁠week after Ukrainian officials ⁠said it had been struck by Russian forces.

Ukraine’s ports authority said the Golden Leo, sailing under a ⁠Guinea-Bissau flag, had sunk near the port. A statement said nine crew members had been killed in the attack while eight were evacuated to safety.

The statement said the ship, which left the port of Chornomorsk with a cargo of ⁠corn, ⁠suffered considerable damage when it was shelled by Russian forces on July 19.

It had been passing through a corridor overseen by Ukraine along the coast towards Romania.

The ports authority said Russian action against the ⁠ship “violated the norms of international maritime law” and endangered the lives of crew.

A Reuters witness in Odesa at the time saw smoke billowing from a large vessel off the coast. ⁠Moscow ‌has not ‌publicly commented on the strike.

Russia ⁠has stepped up ‌attacks in recent weeks on deepwater ports in southern Ukraine ⁠that handle much of ⁠the country’s grain and other critical ⁠cargo, in the fifth year of war.