Ukrainian drone forces struck 20 Russian vessels in the Black Sea overnight, including 17 oil tankers, two gas carriers and a tugboat, marking the opening of a second phase in Kyiv's maritime campaign after drones targeted scores of ships in the Sea of Azov over the preceding week.
Drone forces commander Robert Brovdi said 116 vessels of Russia's shadow fleet had been hit in the Azov Sea since the operation began on July 6, aimed at paralysing feeder shipping that carries oil through the Volga-Don canal. The strikes are designed to cripple Russia's ability to earn from oil exports and complicate fuel supplies to Crimea.
Russia's agriculture ministry said alternative shipping routes are being defined with industry, as Moscow weighs traffic limits. Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry said it attacked the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Dnipro-Buh; Ukrainian officials said three people were killed and three wounded in Odesa on July 15.