Ukraine war: ships leave Odesa, star pilots killed, drone crash

A second container ship sailed Saturday through a temporary Black Sea corridor established by Ukraine’s government after Russia halted a wartime agreement aimed at ensuring safe grain exports from the invaded country’s ports.

The Primus, a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, left the port of Odesa on Saturday morning and was steaming south towards the Bulgarian port of Varna, according to data from marine traffic monitoring sites. Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksii Honcharenko also posted a photo of the vessel leaving port on his Telegram channel.

The Primus’ departure came 10 days after the launch of another container ship that had been docked in Odesa since before Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour began, the Hong Kong-flagged Joseph Schulte. 

Analysts had surmised that China’s political closeness to Russia might have eased that ship’s passage and raised doubts about whether vessels registered elsewhere would follow.

Sea mines also make the voyage risky, and ship insurance costs are likely to be high for operators.

Russia withdrew from the UN-brokered grain deal on 17 July, with Kremlin officials arguing their demands for the facilitation of Russian food and fertiliser shipments had not been met. The decision came hours after a predawn attack on a bridge connecting the Crimean Peninsula to Russia killed two people and dealt an embarrassing blow to the Kremlin.

Although Russian officials insisted there was no link between the span and the decision to exit the deal, they described a missile and drone attack on Odesa the day after Moscow broke off the safe shipping agreement as retribution for the damaged bridge.

Star Ukrainian pilots killed in collision

Three Ukrainian air force pilots, including a decorated officer, have been killed in a collision between two Ukrainian aircraft, the country’s authorities announced yesterday.

“We offer our condolences to the families of the victims. This is a painful and irreparable loss for all of us”, said the Ukrainian Air Force, describing the crash as “terrible”.

The accident took place in the region of Jytomyr, in northern Ukraine, and involved two L-39 combat trainer aircraft, it added, adding that an investigation was underway.

The crash represents a major setback for Kyiv as it awaits the delivery of American F-16 jets in hopes of bolstering its Soviet-era fleet and advancing its counter-offensive against the Russian army.

An air force spokesman, Yuriy Ignat, said that one of the pilots killed – Andrii Pilshchykov, known by the nickname “Juice” – was a young officer with “super knowledge and super talent”.

“Andrii Pilshchykov dedicated his short but brilliant life to combat aviation, dreaming of seeing F-16s in Ukrainian skies,” he said in a tribute posted on social networks.

“You were more than a friend. Rest in peace, you did so much for us”, he added.

Drone crash in Russian border region

A drone crashed into a residential building in Kursk, the capital of the Russian region bordering Ukraine, on Saturday night, local authorities said.

“According to initial information, a drone crashed into a building in Kursk”, regional governor Roman Starovoyt wrote on Telegram.

As a result of the incident, “windows on several floors were broken”, he said, adding that the building of a nearby regional university had also been affected.

“There was no fire, and none of the residents were injured”, Mr Starovoyt stressed.

For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defence said in a statement that it had shot down two Ukrainian drones on Sunday in the Kursk and Bryansk regions, which also border Ukraine.

Ukrainian drone attacks and bombings of Russian regions bordering Ukraine have increased in recent months.

On Saturday, Russia claimed to have shot down three Ukrainian drones approaching Moscow and in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, where one civilian was killed and six others were injured in Ukrainian strikes on the same day.