The death toll from a Russian strike on a vessel near Ukraine's southern port city of Odesa has risen to 10, Ukraine's seaports authority said on Monday. The Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship had left port loaded with corn and was carrying a crew of 17 sailors from India and Syria, in addition to one Ukrainian, said Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi. A Reuters witness in Odesa saw smoke billowing from a large vessel off the coast. Moscow has not publicly commented on Sunday's 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. "A civilian ship. An international crew. A route serving global food security. Putin saw another target," acting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "This attack leaves no room for illusions. Putin's Russia does not care whom it kills." On Saturday, one person was killed when Russia attacked port infrastructure in Odesa, hitting a vessel under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda. A day earlier, three people were killed in Russian strikes on Odesa and Mykolaiv.
