Russian Iskander Missile Strike Destroys Shipboard Western Weapons Arriving in Ukraine – Reports

<p >A strike using a Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile system has struck the Panama flagged container ship Shui Spirit, which accordingly to multiple reports was carrying armaments from the Romanian port of Constanta to the Ukrainian city of Odessa. Constanta has been a primary transit point for Western Bloc armaments being shipped to Ukraine, with reports indicating that a very high value asset was destroyed as a result of the attack. The missile strike caused secondary detonations at the unloading sites, which sank two boats of the Ukrainian border service caused seven casualties among Ukrainian forces. The strike occurs as Russia has continued to use Iskander-M systems, and an <a href=" target="_blank">air launched derivative </a>of the system’s 9K720 missile, to neutralise high value Western assets being transferred to Ukraine – most notably its <a href=" target="_blank">Patriot air defence systems</a>. Western built equipment has played an increasingly central role in the Ukrainian War effort from mid-2023, with the presence of Western contractors and active personnel on the ground <a href=" target="_blank">playing a central role </a>in <a href=" target="_blank">allowing</a> complex new assets to quickly be utilised to support the ongoing war effort against Russia. The <a href=" target="_blank">positions of Western personnel </a>have notably also been consistently <a href=" target="_blank">singled out</a> in Russian strikes using Iskander-Ms and other assets. </p><p ></p>