Key facts
- Russia claims to have struck two vessels carrying weapons and military equipment to Ukrainian ports near Odesa.
- The Russian Defense Ministry also reported hitting a fuel storage facility and additional vessels in the Odesa region and Black Sea.
- Russia stated that all targeted vessels were being used to transport military supplies to Ukraine.
- Ukraine reported Russian drone attacks on port infrastructure in Mykolaiv, damaging civilian vessels and causing casualties.
- Russian attacks on Odesa and Mykolaiv ports have killed at least three people and damaged vessels, according to Ukrainian officials.
Russia's Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday that its forces had struck two vessels carrying weapons and military equipment destined for Ukrainian ports near Odesa. The ministry later reported hitting a fuel storage facility in Odesa, two additional vessels in the port of Pivdennyi near Odesa, and another vessel in the Black Sea, asserting that all were being used to transport military supplies to Ukraine. Reuters stated it could not independently verify these claims.
Further details emerged indicating that Russia had also targeted a dry-cargo ship unloading at Chornomorsk port, a military cargo store, and fuel and lubricant storage tanks. Russian drones were also reported to have struck three warehouses storing Ukrainian drones.
In parallel, Ukrainian officials reported that Russian drone attacks on port infrastructure in Mykolaiv damaged three civilian foreign-flagged vessels and killed two Ukrainians on board. Another man was killed in a separate Russian attack on Odesa. The Odesa Regional Governor noted that a later strike hit a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, damaging it and injuring four of its 17 crew members, who were subsequently evacuated.
Ukraine's seaports authority indicated that Russia had attacked Ukrainian ports and civilian vessels multiple times in July, resulting in 11 fatalities, including port workers and foreign crew members. The intensified strikes have led to a partial halt in grain shipments. Meanwhile, Ukraine has also conducted its own strikes, with the commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces reporting that Ukraine struck 12 Russian vessels in the Black Sea on Friday, bringing the total number of vessels struck in July to 159.