Ukraine's special forces on Friday said it hit two Russian ships transporting weapons and military equipment in Caspian sea off the coast of Russia. Although the forces did not give any information on how they had hit the vessels, or what the extent of damage was, they reportedly said the ships were hit off the coast of the republic of Kalmykia, a region of Russia.
According to a report by Reuters, one Ukrainian official said on Thursday that Kyiv's drones had hit a Russian oil rig in the Caspian Sea for the first time, disabling the extraction of oil and gas from about 20 wells.
Which vessels were struck?
The special forces identified the vessels as the Composer Rakhmaninoff and the Askar-Sarydzha — both of which they said were sanctioned by the US for transporting military cargo between Iran and Russia.
Ukraine's special forces statement mentioned that the “Black Spark” resistance movement had supplied detailed information about the ships’ routes and cargo.
Hours after news of the Ukrainian attack, a bulk carrier in Ukraine's Odesa region suffered damages following a Russian strike.
Ukrainian vessel on fire after Russian attack
The bulk carrier in Ukraine's Odesa region – in the port of Chornomorsk – one of Odesa region's three big Black Sea ports – suffered damage and was on fire after the Russian attack on Friday, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The Russian strike comes days after the nation threatened to "cut Ukraine off from the sea" as retaliation for Kyiv's attacks with sea drones on unlicensed tankers heading to Russia to export its oil.
Series of attacks on Russia and Ukraine's vessels from either side comes amid the ongoing US-led talks with Russia regarding a ceasefire.
US peace talks
Donald Trump's eldest son suggested on Sunday that US President Trump could walk out of the deal.
While Donald Trump Jr. has not played any public, prominent role in Russia-Ukraine talks mediated by the US, his latest comments are likely to come as alarming for the Volodymyr Zelenskyy-led administration, especially in wake of the recent scandal that saw Andriy Yermak resign.
Speaking at the Doha Forum, Trump Jr. highlighted Ukraine's dubious track record, saying, “It was a far more corrup country than Russia as delegated by the United States government prior to this war.”
