KYIV — Ukraine expanded its campaign to disrupt Russian military logistics supplying occupied Crimea by targeting ships used to transport fuel and cargo across the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday, as Moscow reported retaliatory strikes on Ukrainian maritime targets and fighting intensified across the region.
Ukraine's military said the maritime strikes form part of a broader effort to isolate Crimea by severing supply routes after repeated attacks on bridges, rail links and fuel infrastructure connecting the peninsula with mainland Russia. Ukrainian officials have said Russia increasingly relied on sea transport after overland logistics came under sustained pressure from long-range drone and missile attacks.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had responded by striking Ukrainian maritime and military targets near the Black Sea port of Odesa. The ministry's battlefield claims could not be independently verified.
On Thursday, hostilities escalated further when both sides reported attacks on vessels operating in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. According to Ukrainian and Russian officials, Ukraine struck several Russian tankers and tugboats while Russia attacked Ukrainian maritime craft near Odesa. The renewed exchanges disrupted commercial shipping in the Sea of Azov, an important route for Russian grain exports, and contributed to higher global wheat prices.
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said earlier this week that coordinated overnight operations had targeted ferries, patrol boats, radar installations and fuel storage facilities supporting Russian forces in and around occupied Crimea. Military officials described the campaign as an effort to reduce Russia's ability to sustain operations on the southern front by attacking transport links and fuel supplies simultaneously.
Russian-installed authorities in Crimea have previously acknowledged disruptions to fuel distribution and transport following Ukrainian strikes but have said essential services remain operational. Moscow has repeatedly condemned attacks on civilian shipping and infrastructure, while Kyiv says vessels carrying fuel and military supplies supporting Russian forces are legitimate military objectives.
The maritime campaign has unfolded alongside broader Ukrainian long-range strikes against Russian energy infrastructure and logistics facilities, which Kyiv says are intended to increase pressure on Moscow's war effort. Russia has continued missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and ports, saying it is targeting military and defence-industrial facilities.
There was no indication on Thursday that either side was reducing military operations, with both continuing to report strikes on logistics networks and strategic infrastructure as the conflict entered another phase of intensified attacks around occupied Crimea and the Black Sea.
