Russian drones damage foreign-flagged vessels in southern ports, Ukraine says

KYIV, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Russian overnight drone attacks damaged Slovakia-, Palau- and Liberia-flagged vessels in ports in Ukraine's Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, Ukraine's deputy prime minister said on Friday.

In recent weeks, Russia has escalated attacks on the southern Odesa region, and Ukrainian officials said Moscow aimed to cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea and sow chaos among civilians.

There were no casualties in Friday's strikes, Oleksiy Kuleba said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app, but the attacks caused power cuts and damaged elevators and civilian warehouses in the Odesa region.

Separately, Kuleba added, drones damaged a locomotive and a freight car at the northwestern Kovel railway station, around 60 kilometres (37.28 miles) from Poland.

"Despite Russia's deliberate terror, Ukraine's logistics system continues to function," Kuleba said.

Russia did not comment on the matter.

(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Joe Bavier and Muralikumar Anantharaman)