- A Russian drone attacked the Chinese-owned cargo ship KSL DEYANG, flying under the Marshall Islands flag, off the coast of Ukraine early on Monday.
- The vessel, which was empty and en route to Ukraine's Pivdennyi port in the Odesa region to load iron ore concentrate, sustained no significant damage, and its crew extinguished a fire caused by the strike.
- This incident, involving a Chinese-owned vessel, has the potential to strain relations with Beijing, a crucial ally for Moscow.
- The attack follows a period of intense Ukrainian drone activity, with Russia's defence minister reporting 3,124 Ukrainian drones intercepted and destroyed in the past week.
- Recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia included major incidents on 13 May and 17 May, and an overnight attack that killed four people and injured a dozen, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described as 'entirely justified'.
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