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Black Sea shipping hit
Ukrainian and Russian drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea have changed the rules of civilian shipping, with the involvement of merchant ships in military conflict threatening to drive up insurance and security costs, Politico reported.
“In July, ten sailors were killed as a result of a Russian missile strike on a cargo ship near Odesa.”
In July, ten sailors were killed as a result of a Russian missile strike on a cargo ship near Odesa, and in early August Russian drones attacked two more cargo ships in the Black Sea—one belonged to a German company and the other was linked to Lebanon.
The article also says that over a 12-day period in July, Ukrainian drones struck 172 vessels of the “shadow fleet,” forcing Moscow to divert resources to protect maritime transport.
It adds that Russia rejected a moratorium on attacks against civilian vessels in the Black Sea and also rejected a return to a version of the 2022–2023 Grain Agreement, which Russia ultimately scuttled in July 2023.
Romania faces drone incursions
Russia’s escalating strikes in Ukraine are increasingly spilling into NATO, Romania says, as drones have violated Romanian airspace 23 times so far this year, according to data from the country’s Defense Ministry shared with ABC News.
The ABC News report says that as of Aug. 17, four Russian drones had been shot down in Romanian airspace, and drones or fragments of them were found on Romanian territory 27 times so far this year.
Romania’s Defense Ministry told ABC News, "Based on the data and evidence we have at this time, we cannot conclude that the increased number of drone incidents on our territory is the result of a deliberate attempt to target specific locations within our territory," while also adding that all drone fragments recovered and analyzed were of Russian origin.
The same report says Romania’s position along the Danube puts it on the frontline of Russia’s nightly strikes on Ukraine, forcing NATO warplanes into the air at an increasing rate, and that so far this year NATO aircraft have conducted at least 42 air-policing missions in Romania.
Kherson strikes and casualties
In Kherson, a Russian drone dropped an explosive on public transport serving Line 47, connecting the Tavriiskyi and Korabel neighborhoods, and El Mundo describes the strike as leaving bodies of four passengers on the floor "Dead instantly."
“The bodies of four passengers lay on the floor. Dead instantly.”
The driver Oleg Kuznienko recalled, "I heard the drone, and I saw soldiers firing (to shoot it down).", and he said he tried to speed up to enter the network tunnel but “I didn’t have time,” as the device left a huge hole in the roof and filled the bus with smoke.
El Mundo also quotes Dr. Inna Zaharchenko, head of the emergency department at Kherson Regional Hospital, saying, "It is not yet noon, and the medical facility has already received five dead and eight wounded," after another drone attacked a taxi killing the passenger.
The report frames the fatalities from last Wednesday as part of a "brutal escalation" endured by the southern Ukrainian town since early summer, and it says that only on the 19th the region was attacked by about 1,000 drones, when it used to be a little over 400.