Ukraine launched a concentrated assault on Russia's maritime logistics overnight, striking 19 vessels, including 17 oil tankers and two gas tankers, as part of an escalating campaign against Moscow's "shadow fleet." Over the past ten days, Ukrainian forces have reportedly destroyed or damaged 136 vessels in the Sea of Azov, a significant blow to Russia's capacity to supply the annexed Crimean Peninsula.
The recent attacks coincided with Ukraine's Statehood Day, a national observance honoring over a millennium of Ukrainian history, which Kyiv officials have framed as a counterpoint to Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims of historical ties between the two nations.
Images showed a tanker ablaze in the Sea of Azov and damage to the dry cargo vessel Chelsea-6. Earlier in the week, Ukraine reported destroying the Izumrud, a patrol ship belonging to the FSB security service, in the Black Sea.
In response to the naval strikes, Russia launched missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian port facilities in Odesa and Chornomorsk. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated it targeted fuel storage tanks and drone production sites, also claiming to have hit four naval vessels carrying cargo for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Reports indicated a large fire at the Pivdennyi port in Odesa following a Russian strike. Ukraine stated that Russia struck two civilian vessels flying Tanzanian and Liberian flags, resulting in one captain's death, and that two crew members were killed on a vessel flying the Marshall Islands flag. Russian sources also reported two dry cargo ships hit in the Mykolaiv region.
Meanwhile, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda indicated that Lithuania possesses intelligence suggesting Russia is planning attacks on critical infrastructure, leading to increased security measures around energy and transport sites within the Baltic nation. Nauseda noted that the intelligence did not specify the timing or location of any potential attacks, describing them as signals of Russia's planning or objectives to physically damage infrastructure. Lithuania, a NATO member bordering Russia's Kaliningrad exclave and allied Belarus, has tripled its defense spending since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Neighboring Poland has also expressed concerns, shared by Western intelligence agencies, about the risk of Russian attacks on its territory and other Baltic states. Moscow consistently denies accusations of planning or conducting sabotage or attacks outside of Ukraine, attributing such reports to anti-Russian propaganda.