Russia’s defence ministry on Friday claimed its forces struck a vessel carrying military cargo near Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa, while Ukraine said it had hit a major Russian oil refinery and port infrastructure, signalling a fresh escalation in attacks on each other’s military supply chains.In a brief statement, the Russian defence ministry said its forces had struck a vessel “delivering supplies to the Ukrainian army in the Black Sea.”According to Reuters, the vessel was carrying military cargo near Odesa. The Russian ministry did not disclose the vessel’s identity, nationality or the extent of the damage. Reuters said it could not independently verify the claim, and Ukraine did not immediately comment.
Ukraine claims strike on Russian oil refinery
Earlier today, Ukraine’s military said it had struck Russia’s Volgograd oil refinery overnight, causing a fire at the facility.In a statement posted on Telegram, Ukraine’s military said the refinery has an annual processing capacity of around 15 million tonnes of oil.Separately, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said it had also targeted infrastructure at the Russian port of Taman on the Kerch Strait, a strategic waterway linking the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.Russia has not immediately commented on Ukraine’s claims.
Black Sea becomes key theatre of war
Friday’s strikes come amid intensified military activity across the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, where both Moscow and Kyiv have increasingly targeted ships, ports and logistics infrastructure that they accuse of supporting the other’s war effort.Earlier this week, Russia said it had struck at least two Ukrainian vessels, including a dry cargo ship allegedly transporting military supplies, and targeted infrastructure at the port of Mykolaiv.According to the Russian Defence Ministry, those attacks damaged facilities at Mykolaiv’s transshipment complex that it claimed were being used to receive and store military cargo and fuel for the Ukrainian armed forces. Moscow also said a drone strike hit a dry cargo vessel carrying military supplies to the Ukrainian ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk.Ukraine has not confirmed those Russian claims.
Ukraine expands strikes inside Russia
The maritime attacks coincide with Ukraine’s widening campaign against logistics targets inside Russia.Since mid-July, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly struck warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, which Kyiv alleges has been used to store drone components, navigation equipment and other supplies for the Russian military.President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the facilities as “logistics hubs involved in supplying the Russian army with drone components, navigation equipment and other gear.”Wildberries and the Kremlin have denied the allegations, maintaining that the company is a civilian commercial enterprise.The repeated strikes on ports, vessels, oil infrastructure and logistics facilities underscore the growing importance of disrupting supply chains as both Russia and Ukraine seek to weaken each other’s military capabilities more than four years into the war.
