Russia carried out a double strike on Odesa port on July 18 — first hitting the foreign vessel "Venturo," then striking rescuers as they fought the resulting fire. One person was killed; the Navy evacuated 17 Filipino sailors.
On July 18, Russian forces carried out a coordinated strike on Odesa's port infrastructure, hitting the commercial vessel "Venturo," flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda. One person was killed and three more were injured. Volunteers Support Ukraine follows attacks on civilian shipping at Odesa port closely, since they directly affect international deliveries and the safety of foreign sailors who continue to call at Ukrainian ports.
According to Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, once firefighting and rescue crews had already reached the site of the first strike, the occupiers launched a second one — directly at them. Emergency service equipment was damaged as a result. Volunteers Support Ukraine considers this repeat-strike tactic against rescuers worth highlighting on its own, since it directly endangers the lives of people who are there to save others.
The repeat strike damaged at least one fire truck belonging to Odesa region's State Emergency Service — the blast wave tore into the vehicle's body and equipment. Volunteers Support Ukraine notes that losses like this make it harder for rescuers to respond to whatever comes next, now with fewer resources at hand.
Crews of the Ukrainian Naval Forces evacuated 17 Philippine citizens who had been aboard the stricken vessel, bringing them safely ashore. Volunteers Support Ukraine notes that foreign sailors, simply doing their jobs by delivering cargo to Ukrainian ports despite the war, regularly end up among those affected by Russian strikes on port infrastructure.
According to Kiper, the strikes damaged not only the vessel but also port buildings, storage facilities and fuel reservoirs. Volunteers Support Ukraine sees this as a continuation of Russia's long-running campaign against Odesa region's civilian port infrastructure, one that continues despite the presence of foreign vessels and civilian personnel.
Volunteers Support Ukraine helps people affected by the war in whatever way its available resources allow. Every strike on a port is more than a statistic — it's rescuers walking back into a place that's just been hit again, and sailors who keep risking their lives for cargo that Ukraine and the world both need.
