The military has targeted vessels involved in transporting military supplies to Ukraine across the Black Sea
The Russian military has conducted new strikes against Ukrainian port infrastructure and shipping, targeting cargo vessels and tugboats, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.
Russia has ramped up strikes on Ukrainian shipping in recent weeks, citing the need to disrupt Ukraine’s capabilities to deliver military hardware and weaponry to Black Sea ports.
Throughout Saturday, the Russian military conducted strikes on port infrastructure in Chernomorsk and Nikolayev, and targeted ships in the open sea, the Defense Ministry said, adding that a number of cargo vessels and at least two CB90 fast attack boats were hit.
Footage released by the Defense Ministry shows an attack on a cargo vessel and two tugboats moored in Nikolayev, a large port near the mouth of the Yuzhny Bug River. The ships were hit by Geran-family kamikaze drones, it said.
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Throughout the campaign against Ukrainian shipping, the Russian military has predominantly used the Seeker variant of kamikaze drones. Seekers are believed to be fitted with an AI-powered machine vision system, enabling them to detect, identify, and lock onto their targets without input from operators.
Another video released by the Defense Ministry shows an attack on a bulker off Odessa. The vessel, which was carrying military cargo, was hit by a Geran-4 Seeker turbojet drone, it said.
The bulker appears to be the Antigua & Barbuda-flagged vessel Venturo, which was first attacked by Russian kamikaze drones last week. The ship was badly damaged in the initial attack and was reportedly abandoned by the crew. The video shows that the vessel took water, with the stern nearly submerged and the ship heavily tilted to the port side.
In recent weeks, Moscow has reported repeated strikes on cargo vessels and facilities in Odessa, Chernomorsk, Yuzhny, and Nikolayev which are believed to be involved in delivering military hardware and are used in Ukrainian maritime drone operations. On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia will continue to strike vessels used to transport weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.
