Russia claims it struck two Ukrainian ships and Mykolaiv port
Moscow says it struck ships and infrastructure in the Mykolaiv port with loitering munitions and attack drones; claims not independently verified.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said today that it struck at least two Ukrainian ships — including a cargo vessel carrying military goods in the Black Sea and a ship in the Mykolaiv port — and that the port itself was also targeted.
In its statement the ministry said: "As a result of the attack using loitering munitions and attack drones, infrastructure facilities in the transshipment complex at the Mykolaiv port, which is used for the delivery and storage of military cargo, as well as fuel and lubricant tanks intended for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, were struck."
Additionally, the Russian Ministry of Defence claims that in the narrow passage 11 kilometres east of Odesa drones struck a cargo ship that was delivering military goods for the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk.
Increased maritime operations
The statement notes that in recent weeks Russia and Ukraine have intensified military activity in and around the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, with both sides, according to Moscow, carrying out strikes on dozens of vessels, including oil tankers and cargo ships.
International agencies said these claims cannot be independently verified. The Russian ministry did not provide objective evidence in its statement, and the message did not give information on possible casualties or confirmed assessments of damage from neutral observers.
If confirmed, the attacks would increase the risk to commercial shipping and to exports through Ukraine's southern ports; in the first hours after Moscow's statement, Kyiv did not publicly confirm the incidents.
Photo: press material from the event
