©picture alliance / Anadolu | Kremlin Press Service / Handout
The mutual attacks continue. The death toll following the Russian attack on the cargo ship Golden Leo off the Ukrainian coast has risen to ten. At the same time, Ukraine launched more than 400 drones at Moscow overnight from Sunday to Monday, in a new escalation of the war between the two countries.
The Golden Leo had departed from the port of Odesa with a cargo of grain shortly before the attack. On board were seventeen people from India and Syria, along with one Ukrainian. According to initial reports, it is not yet clear exactly which of them were killed. The tanker was flying the flag of Guinea-Bissau and was owned by a Turkish company. Ukrainian rescue services worked throughout the night to reach the victims.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andri Sybiha reacted strongly to the attack. He said that the Kremlin makes no distinction between Ukrainians and citizens of other countries and that the attack demonstrates once again that Russia is pursuing only its own war aims. Meanwhile, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that Ukraine had fired more than 400 drones at the Russian capital and the surrounding region. According to him, most of the drones were shot down remotely by air defenses. A total of 85 drones were reportedly shot down as they approached Moscow itself. The attacks did, however, cause damage and unrest in the region. In the Moscow Oblast, several civilian infrastructure targets were reportedly hit, and two people were injured. Russian authorities described it as one of the heaviest drone attacks on the capital in a long time.
The reciprocal attacks demonstrate how the war is spiraling further out of control, not only along the front lines but also at sea and deep within Russian rear areas. The combination of attacks on a grain ship near Odesa and a massive wave of drones heading toward Moscow underscores how vulnerable both the Ukrainian export corridors and Russia’s rear-area defenses remain.
©picture alliance / Anadolu | Kremlin Press Service / Handout