Ten killed as Russian attacks on merchant ships in Black Sea intensify

Attacks on cargo ships in the Black Sea have increased as Russia seeks to disrupt the last maritime export corridor outside of Ukraine

The death toll of a Russian strike on a cargo ship off the coast of the Ukrainian city of Odesa has risen to 10.

The Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship was hit by Russian cruise missiles on Sunday, the Ukrainian Air Force said, causing a fire.

A search and rescue operation was launched and lasted all night. By Monday morning, Ukraine's seaports authority said nine crew members had been killed, as well as one of its pilots.

In recent weeks, the Odesa region has come under sustained attack.

Twenty-eight people died in Russian strikes on the region in July alone, governor Oleh Kiper told Ukrainian TV on Monday.

Russian attacks on cargo ships in the Black Sea have also increased.

Sunday's attack on the Guinea-Bissau-flagged Golden Leo ship was the deadliest of its kind.

These usually foreign-flagged ships carrying international crews sustain Ukraine's last remaining maritime export corridor to transport cargo down the Romanian and Bulgarian coastlines and onwards to Turkey.

Maritime exports account for over two-thirds of Ukrainian agricultural exports, for a value of roughly $9bn (£6.7bn) - an essential source of revenue for Kyiv.

Fighting in the Black Sea was at a stalemate for most of the four-and-a-half years since Moscow first launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

While Ukrainian ships were unable to move further than the area surrounding Odesa due to Russian control of much of the coast, Kyiv's drones forced Moscow to keep its assets safely tucked in its naval bases in the eastern Black Sea.

But Russia's ramping up of attacks against cargo ships is likely meant to deter foreign companies from buying Ukrainian products and using its Black Sea maritime corridor.

On Sunday, Ukraine's Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi said his government and the military command were "preparing decisions that will enhance the safety of navigation and help protect civilian vessels and seafarers" from Russian attacks.

Despite the constant shelling, Odesa remains a prime holiday destination for Ukrainians.

Governor Oleh Kiper said earlier this month that air raid shelters had been set up in 40 beaches in the region which were open to the public - but warned that seaside locations could be particularly dangerous because drones and missiles are often launched from the sea.

For its part, Ukraine too has ramped up its attacks on Russian assets in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. On Monday, Ukraine's drone forces commander Robert Brovdi said 183 vessels had been struck in July, although this figure has not been independently verified.

Kyiv also continued to hit logistics facilities and an oil depot in Russia's Moscow region.

Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of the Russian capital, said Kyiv had launched 400 drones towards the region, although most were shot down. Local authorities later said ten people had been injured as a result.