A Russian drone struck a Chinese-owned cargo ship, the Ukrainian Navy said Monday, and it comes just one day before Vladimir Putin heads to China to meet Xi Jinping.
The KSL Deyang ship, which has a Chinese crew on board, came under fire near the Odessa region, the Ukrainian Navy wrote on Telegram.
“I wonder what moved the Russians when they decided to “Shaheed” tonight to patrol a Chinese merchant ship in our sea,” Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dymtro Pletenchuk scoffed on Facebook.
“There were no casualties but this is something new. A terrible mistake has occurred, comrades?”
The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel suffered minimal damage and its crew extinguished a fire, Turkiye Today reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the strike on the ship and he claimed, “The Russians could not have been unaware of what vessel was at sea.”
“Russia once again demonstrates that its attacks pose a threat not only to Ukraine, now they are a risk even to its closest partners, whose ships are in the Black Sea,” the Navy said.
Putin’s visit to Beijing will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the 2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship.
Moscow has been heavily reliant on Beijing for trade after being shunned by the west following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
When Putin visited China in September 2025, Xi welcomed his counterpart as an “old friend.” Putin also addressed Xi as “dear friend.”
Putin is set to visit Shenzhen in November for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
His visit to China comes just four days after President Trump wrapped up his trip to Beijing.
On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin would “exchange views” with Xi about the Trump visit.
With Post wires
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