Cargo ships damaged in Russian missile strike on Ukraine's Odesa Port

Ukrainian news outlets have reported that two commercial vessels sustained damage and two people suffered injuries as a result of a missile strike by Russian forces against the Port of Odesa on Ukraine's Black Sea coast on Saturday, March 1.

Ukrainian government sources said that the damaged vessels are the Panamanian-flagged containership MSC Levante F and the Sierra Leone-registered bulk carrier Super Sarkas. The injured individuals were both port workers, who have since been given medical attention.

Both ships remain afloat, though the extent of the damage they suffered has not yet been determined.

Oleksiy Kuleba, Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Community and Territories Development, has issued a statement saying that the targeted vessels were transporting civilian cargo when the attack by Russian forces occurred.

Mr Kuleba's statement refutes claims by Russian media that MSC Levante F was transporting British-supplied weapons to be used by the Ukrainian military in the ongoing conflict with Russia.