Russian forces carried out strikes on two major Ukrainian ports on Friday, damaging three Turkish-owned vessels, including a ship transporting food supplies, Ukrainian officials said. Kyiv strongly condemned the attacks, describing them as indiscriminate and lacking any military justification.
The strikes targeted the ports of Chornomorsk and Odesa in Ukraine’s southwestern Odesa region along the Black Sea. Ukrainian navy sources confirmed that three Turkish-owned ships were damaged in the attacks, though detailed assessments of the damage were not immediately available.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared footage showing firefighters battling flames on a civilian vessel in Chornomorsk. He said the attacks had “no military purpose whatsoever” and accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilian life, commercial shipping, and essential logistics rather than military sites.
Among the affected ships was the Panama-flagged, Turkish-owned vessel Cenk T. Its operator, Cenk Shipping, confirmed that the strike occurred around 4 pm local time, adding that there were no injuries among the crew and that the damage to the vessel was limited.
In Odesa, Ukrainian authorities reported damage to a cargo loader, while an employee of a private company suffered minor injuries. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said Russia used both drones and ballistic missiles in the strikes, which he said were aimed at civilian port infrastructure and commercial maritime activity.
Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the Turkish-owned vessel Cenk T had been hit and said no Turkish nationals were harmed. The ministry warned that such attacks increase risks to maritime security and threaten freedom of navigation in the Black Sea.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has previously discussed the situation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has called for a limited ceasefire covering energy facilities and ports to prevent further escalation. Turkey has repeatedly offered to mediate between Ukraine and Russia.
Zelenskyy said the port attacks demonstrated Russia’s disregard for diplomatic efforts and its intention to prolong the conflict. He urged the international community to hold Moscow accountable for strikes on civilian infrastructure and supply chains.
The attacks come days after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of efforts to cut Ukraine off from the sea, following Kyiv’s maritime drone operations against what it describes as Russia’s “shadow fleet” of tankers. With the longest coastline on the Black Sea, Turkey has voiced growing concern over the conflict’s spillover effects and continues to call for international cooperation to protect critical shipping routes
