Ukraine’s navy reported that six individuals lost their lives when Russia fired cruise missiles at the Golden Leo, which was “departing the combat area with a shipment of grain.”
On Sunday, Ukraine reported that Russian missile attacks on a Turkish-registered freighter transporting grain resulted in six fatalities, just hours after Moscow launched another wave of missiles toward Kyiv.
Ukraine’s navy stated that Russia fired three cruise missiles at the Golden Leo, a vessel flying the flag of Guinea-Bissau, while it was “exiting the combat area with a shipment of grain.”
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga mentioned that the crew consisted of individuals from Syria and India, while Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky stated that the ship was hit near Odesa after departing from the port.
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“Eight crew members were saved. Two of them sustained injuries. Unfortunately, currently, six sailors have been confirmed deceased, with four others still unaccounted for,” said Mykola Kalashnyk, the transport minister from Kyiv, on Telegram.
Sybiga verified in a post on X that a Ukrainian maritime pilot was killed during the attack.
“Although the world is still reacting to Russia’s violent surprise attack on Kyiv, Moscow keeps up its campaign of fear throughout the day,” he added.
In the span of one night, Russia launched two dozen ballistic missiles toward Kyiv, resulting in one death and 16 injuries, as the ongoing aerial conflict continues to inflict growing harm on civilians from both sides.
According to regional governor Alexander Khinshtein, a Ukrainian attack resulted in one death in the Kursk region, close to the Ukrainian border, as reported on Telegram.
Reuters reporters in Kyiv observed burned-out apartment blocks with shattered windows and twisted, flipped vehicles.
“The missiles continued to arrive in quick succession, with each explosion being intense; it was terrifying,” said 47-year-old Kyiv resident Ganna Zagorodnia.
I believed that life was about to come to an end.
In a social media post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the Russian strike was “one of the biggest ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv,” with over 40 missiles launched, 25 of which were ballistic.
A person was killed and 16 others were injured, he further stated.
Seven additional individuals lost their lives due to Russian attacks in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk in the eastern region, as well as Odesa in the southern part, according to local authorities.
Russia, which claims it is not attacking civilians, stated that it targeted military installations and logistics centers in Kyiv and port facilities utilized by the Ukrainian forces in Odesa.
Ukraine, entering its fifth year of conflict, is experiencing a rise in Russian missile strikes.
In recent days, it has also faced uncommon internal political instability caused by an unexpected shift in its military leadership during wartime.
Tens of thousands have assembled in major Ukrainian cities during the past three days to demonstrate against the dismissal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Protesters also demanded that Ukraine’s top military leader, Oleksandr Syrsky, step down, as he reportedly had requested Fedorov’s removal following a disagreement on strategies to deal with the Russian invasion.
On Sunday, two senior Ukrainian military leaders — the head of the navy and the commander of the air assault forces — supported Syrsky. In uncommon political remarks, they urged solidarity, stating that internal divisions benefited the adversary.
“It is especially distressing to listen to definitive opinions from individuals who have never given combat orders or taken responsibility for the lives and well-being of their troops,” stated air assault force commander Oleg Apostol, in reference to Fedorov’s critique of Syrsky.
Naval officer Oleksiy Neizhpapa stated: “It is unacceptable to have doubts about the Ukrainian Armed Forces during times of war.”
Fedorov, 35, who has never been in the military, criticized the armed forces’ sluggish administrative processes and inflexibility, raising doubts about whether Ukraine could overcome Russia with Syrsky leading its military.
Since the beginning of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Ukraine has faced a lack of missiles for its US-developed Patriot air defense systems, which are crucial for stopping ballistic projectiles.
Taking advantage of the scarcity, Russia has increased its aerial attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks, carrying out waves of ballistic missiles approximately once a week.
“Ensuring protection from ballistic missiles remains our ongoing and highest priority at the moment. We require interceptors on a daily basis,” Zelensky stated.
A second wave of drones struck the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s facility close to the Russian Black Sea city of Novorossiysk — a key shipping route for Kazakh oil, which is partially owned by Chevron and Shell.
The foreign ministry of Kazakhstan strongly criticized the attack, stating that it aimed to “disrupt global commerce.”
In recent months, Kyiv has increased its attacks on Russian land, affecting the daily lives of regular Russians – actions that it refers to as punishment for over four years of bombings on its territory.
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This piece was first published in the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), a top news outlet covering China and Asia.
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