Russian defense ministry: cargo ship carrying military supplies to Ukraine hit in Odesa port airstrikes

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced today that a cargo ship transporting military supplies to the Ukrainian armed forces was damaged in airstrikes targeting the port of Odesa.

In a statement carried by Russia's Sputnik agency, the ministry said: "Russian armed forces continued to launch strikes targeting Ukrainian seaports and vessels used to support the Ukrainian military."

The statement added: "The strikes directed at the port of Odesa targeted a dry cargo ship that was transporting military supplies to the Ukrainian armed forces."

Earlier on Saturday, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that its 'Center' forces had taken control of the town of Vesele in the Donetsk People's Republic after expelling Kyiv's forces, and reported significant advances along all combat lines in the special military operation area.

The Russian military has routinely targeted Ukrainian ships and storage facilities in ports used by the Ukrainian armed forces on a daily basis.

Rodion Miroshnik, ambassador-at-large at the Russian Foreign Ministry, explained that the Kyiv government uses the sea route as a channel for delivering weapons around the clock. He noted that over the past three years, about 8,000 ships carrying military cargo have passed through Odesa's ports, which explains the targeting of these sites.