Ukrainian authorities reported that during nighttime attacks carried out by Russian drones, a Chinese merchant ship sailing near the port of Odesa in the Black Sea was damaged. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Russia knowingly carried out the attack on the ship belonging to China. Zelenskyy emphasized that it is impossible for Russian forces to carry out such an attack without realizing that the ship was operating in Ukrainian territorial waters.
Odesa has frequently been targeted since the beginning of the war due to its strategic importance; the city plays a critical role in grain exports and maritime trade routes extending from the Black Sea to regional economies including Turkey. Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk stated that the attack was carried out with Iranian-made Shahed drones and that the crew was unharmed. Pletenchuk expressed that it is difficult to understand whether the attack was intentional and criticized the possibility of Moscow describing the attack as an accident. No official statements have yet been made by Russia or China regarding the matter.
While China has maintained close diplomatic and economic relations with Moscow during the war, it has tried to maintain a neutral position in international negotiations. This attack may resonate more widely internationally due to China's increasing commercial presence in the Black Sea. The region holds strategic importance in energy transit, food exports, and maritime trade among Ukraine, Russia, and neighboring countries including Turkey.
