Russian drone strikes targeting port facilities in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region — carried out over Sunday and early Monday — resulted in at least one death and damage to three civilian vessels, according to a local official.
Acting Regional Governor Heorhii Reshetilov announced via the Telegram messaging platform that a 48-year-old man lost his life during the Monday morning attack on port infrastructure.
Ukraine’s seaports authority later released a statement confirming one fatality and additional injuries from the overnight strikes, though it did not specify how many people were wounded or how many vessels were targeted in the attacks. The authority noted that the damaged ships had been stuck in port since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 and had not been conducting any commercial operations.
Russia’s Defence Ministry offered a different account on Monday, claiming that Moscow had struck two vessels transporting military cargo in the port city of Mykolaiv.
The strikes are part of a broader pattern in recent weeks, with Russia repeatedly hammering port infrastructure across southern Ukraine — including seaports in the Odesa region — using missiles and drones.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has stepped up its own offensive operations, targeting vessels — primarily fuel carriers — in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Those strikes are part of a growing campaign aimed at cutting off Russia-occupied Crimea and weakening key sources of Russian revenue.
