A Russian missile strike damaged a Turkish-owned vessel in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa on Friday. This prompted calls from Ankara to halt attacks on civilian infrastructure. The attack occurred hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised the issue personally with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.”Russia launched a missile strike on civilian port infrastructure in the Odesa region,” Ukraine’s restoration minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram, adding that a Turkish ferry had been damaged and that there were no casualties.Turkish maritime company Cenk Shipping said in a statement that its vessel, “loaded entirely with fresh fruits, vegetables and food supplies on the Karasu-Odesa route, was subjected to an air attack today at 16:00 local time, shortly after docking at the Chornomorsk port.” Social media images showed the blue-and-white ferry on fire. The ship is 185 metres long and sails under the Panama flag, according to information on the company’s website.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier on Friday that “a civilian vessel in the port of Chornomorsk was damaged,” without naming the ship. He added, “This once again proves that the Russians not only refuse to take the current opportunity for diplomacy seriously enough, but are also continuing the war aimed precisely at destroying normal life in Ukraine.” The strike comes amid growing Turkish concerns about the Black Sea. Turkey recently warned of a “worrying escalation” after Ukraine claimed naval drone attacks on Russian-linked tankers in the area.Erdogan had called for a “limited ceasefire” on attacks targeting ports and energy facilities during his talks with Putin on Friday. Following the strike, Turkey’s foreign ministry said, “We once again emphasise the importance of urgently ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, and we reiterate the need for an arrangement to prevent escalation in the Black Sea, including ensuring maritime safety and suspending attacks targeting energy and port infrastructure.”
