Russia damages Turkish-owned vessels in attack on Ukrainian ports

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian attacks ‘had nary … subject intent whatsoever’.

Russian forces person attacked 2 Ukrainian ports, damaging 3 Turkish-owned vessels, including a vessel carrying nutrient supplies, according to Ukrainian officials and a shipowner.

Friday’s attacks by Russian forces targeted Chornomorsk and Odesa ports successful Ukraine’s southwestern Odesa portion connected the Black Sea. A Ukrainian navy spokesperson told the Reuters quality bureau that 3 Turkish-owned vessels were damaged successful total, but did not supply further details.

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Posting video footage connected societal media of firefighters tackling a blaze connected committee what helium described arsenic a “civilian vessel” successful Chornomorsk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian attacks “had nary … subject intent whatsoever”.

“This proves erstwhile again that Russians not lone neglect to instrumentality the existent accidental for diplomacy earnestly enough, but besides proceed the warfare precisely to destruct mean beingness successful Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.

“It is important that … the satellite maintains the due motivation compass: who is dragging retired this warfare and who is moving to extremity it with peace, who is utilizing ballistic missiles against civilian life, and who is striking the targets that power the functioning of Russia’s warfare machine,” helium said.

Today, the Russian service carried retired a rocket onslaught connected our Odesa region, and past nighttime determination was besides a Russian onslaught connected Odesa’s vigor infrastructure. At 1 constituent we talked astir the concern successful this metropolis and the radical of Odesa with President Trump.

Today’s Russian… pic.twitter.com/gIgXUlc4AJ

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 12, 2025

Zelenskyy did not sanction the vessel, but it was identified arsenic the Panama-flagged and Turkish-owned Cenk T by Reuters, which matched cranes and buildings to outer imagery of Chornomorsk port.

The ship’s owners, Cenk Shipping, confirmed it was attacked astatine astir 4pm section clip (14:00 GMT). There were nary casualties among the crew, and harm to the vessel was limited, it added.

An worker of a backstage institution was besides injured successful a abstracted onslaught connected Odesa port, wherever a cargo loader was besides damaged, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba confirmed.

He added that Russia had utilized drones and ballistic missiles successful the larboard strikes, which were “aimed astatine civilian logistics and commercialized shipping”.

Ukraine’s 3 ample Black Sea ports successful the Odesa portion are a key economical artery for Kyiv.

Late connected Friday, Turkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the vas had been attacked successful Chornomorsk port. It added that determination were nary reports of injured Turkish citizens.

The ministry said successful a connection that the onslaught “validates our antecedently stated concerns regarding the dispersed of the ongoing warfare successful the portion to the Black Sea, and its interaction connected maritime information and state of navigation”.

“We reiterate the request for an statement whereby, successful bid to forestall escalation successful the Black Sea, attacks targeting navigational information arsenic good arsenic the parties’ vigor and larboard infrastructure are suspended,” it added.

Hours earlier, successful talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin successful Turkmenistan’s superior of Ashgabat, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for calm successful the Black Sea and suggested that a constricted ceasefire for vigor facilities and ports could beryllium beneficial for determination security.

Turkiye, which has the longest Black Sea coastline astatine astir 1,329km (826 miles), has grown increasingly alarmed astatine the escalating attacks successful its backmost gait and has offered to mediate betwixt Kyiv and Moscow.

The attacks travel conscionable days aft Putin promised retaliation and threatened to chopped “Ukraine disconnected from the sea” for Kyiv’s maritime drone attacks connected Moscow’s “shadow fleet” – unmarked tankers thought to beryllium utilized to circumvent lipid sanctions – successful the Black Sea.

Kyiv says the tankers are Moscow’s main root of backing for its astir four-year-old war. It has besides tried to compression Russian revenues by expanding attacks to the Caspian Sea, wherever it struck a large lipid rig this week.