Russia hits Turkish cargo ships on Ukraine port

Defence affairs - Def-Geopolitics

Russia carried out a strike on maritime infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region, destroying a civilian vessel operated by a Turkish company, as Ukrainian officials reported a broader wave of missile and drone attacks targeting ports and energy facilities.

According to initial reports, Russian forces launched an attack using an Iskander operational-tactical missile system against port infrastructure in the Odesa area. The strike reportedly hit the passenger-cargo ferry CENK T, operated by the Turkish company Cenk Ro-Ro, which regularly runs routes between Turkey and Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later noted, that the damaged vessel was a civilian ship located in the port of Chornomorsk, not Odesa itself. He added that Russia also carried out an overnight strike on energy infrastructure in the Odesa region, continuing a pattern of attacks on critical civilian facilities.

The incident comes amid a larger Russian air campaign overnight into December 12. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russian forces conducted a mass attack using 80 strike drones, including Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles, “Gerbera,” and other models. Ukrainian military officials reported that roughly half of the drones were Shahed-type systems.

The Air Force said launches were carried out from multiple locations, including Bryansk, Oryol, Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and Millerovo in Russia, as well as from Chauda and Hvardiiske in temporarily occupied Crimea. Ukrainian air defenses were engaged across several regions during the night.

Russian attacks on port and energy infrastructure in southern Ukraine have intensified in recent months, targeting facilities linked to exports, fuel distribution, and electricity generation. Odesa and nearby ports such as Chornomorsk remain critical nodes for Ukraine’s maritime trade and logistics.