Russian drones struck a German-owned cargo ship in the Black Sea off the coast of Odesa on Wednesday, sparking a fire and forcing the evacuation of its 11-person crew, while a separate attack on a grain carrier killed one crew member. The Liberia-flagged Emil, owned by Hamburg-based Johann M. K. Blumenthal GmbH & Co. KG, was approximately 21 nautical miles from Odesa when it was hit. All crew were safely evacuated, though the vessel lost maneuverability after sustaining multiple strikes.
The Russian defense ministry said it targeted two vessels carrying military matériel. The second ship, the Guinea-Bissau-flagged Mera Queen, was transporting Ukrainian wheat, according to Ukraine's port authority.
Separate Russian missile strikes also destroyed a Kyiv warehouse belonging to German lubricant manufacturer Liqui Moly, along with facilities linked to Puma and Bosch. The attacks came a day after a drone bomb was discovered at Leipzig airport.
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin appointed Valery Solodzhuk as chief of rear services for the Russian armed forces and raised the military's authorized strength by 25,000 to 2.426 million.