Russian drone hits Chinese ship off Ukraine before Putin meets Xi Jinping

May 19 ------ Russian drones have hit two ships in the Black Sea approaching ports in Ukraine, including a Chinese-owned vessel, one day before Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to Beijing to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

The Ukrainian navy ‌reported a strike on the KSL Deyang, the Chinese-owned cargo ship with a Chinese crew under the Marshall Islands flag. It posted a photograph of the ship showing its name with one of its sides partially charred. Russia has regularly attacked civilian vessels in the port area of Odesa, a vital maritime hub for Ukrainian agricultural exports, since it invaded Ukraine four years ago. Monday’s attack comes just before Putin’s two-day trip to Beijing, where he is to have talks with Xi. “Drones struck Odesa and one of the UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] hit a vessel owned by China,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on social media. “The Russians could not have been unaware of what vessel was at sea.”

There was no immediate comment by Russia. Zelensky said Russian forces attacked Ukrainian territory overnight with 524 drones and 22 missiles, including ballistic and cruise missiles. China has regularly called for talks to end the war on Ukraine but has never condemned Russia for sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and presents itself as a neutral party.

Source: aljazeera.com