Moscow's Winter Campaign Begins: Russia Hits Odesa Ship, Kyiv Bridge as Power Grid Reels
A sailor was killed when Russian forces struck a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in Odesa's port, the latest in a widening campaign against Ukraine's shipping and energy infrastructure ahead of winter.
Russian forces struck a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in a port in Ukraine's Odesa region on Saturday, killing a motorman sailor and wounding three other crew members, according to Ukraine's sea ports administration. Thirteen other crew members were evacuated safely, per a report from the Kyiv Post.
The strike is the latest in what U.S. News, citing Reuters, described as Moscow's escalating campaign against Black Sea commercial shipping and port infrastructure — attacks that have rattled international shippers still trying to move grain and other cargo out of Ukraine's southern ports more than three and a half years into the war.
Bridges and Blackouts in Kyiv
The ship attack came just days after Russian strikes hit a major bridge in Kyiv, the second bridge in the capital targeted in the span of two days, injuring two people and snarling traffic through the city, according to Al Jazeera. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said intelligence obtained by Kyiv shows Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed off on a "new doctrine" permitting broader strikes on civilian targets as winter approaches.
SEVEN KILLED AS RUSSIA LAUNCHED 135 ATTACK DRONES OVERNIGHT ON UKRAINE'S GRID
That doctrine appears to already be in motion. CNBC reported Russia has launched a major assault on Ukraine's power grid in recent days, hitting key facilities in Kyiv and other major cities and forcing emergency power cuts across the capital and three other regions. One overnight barrage alone included 135 attack drones, more than 50 of them jet-powered models capable of covering long distances quickly.
A Familiar, Grim Pattern
Energy officials and Western governments have watched this pattern before: Russia has targeted Ukraine's power infrastructure in each of the past several winters, aiming to break civilian morale by cutting heat and electricity during the coldest months. With emergency crews racing to patch substations and the shipping attacks adding fresh risk to an already-battered export economy, Kyiv heads into this winter facing pressure on two fronts at once — its cities' lights and its ports' lifelines.
Ukrainian officials have renewed calls for additional air-defense systems from Western allies, while shipping insurers and operators are reassessing the risk calculus for vessels still willing to call at Ukrainian ports.