Kanyshai Butun
17 July 2026•Update: 17 July 2026
A Russian drone strike on Ukraine's Black Sea port of Mykolaiv killed two Ukrainian crew members aboard a foreign-flagged vessel Friday, Ukrainian authorities claimed.
The Mykolaiv Regional Prosecutor's Office claimed the attack damaged three foreign-flagged civilian vessels moored at the port and said prosecutors opened a war crimes investigation.
“As a result of one of the hits, two citizens of Ukraine who were on board a foreign vessel died,” the office said on US social media company Facebook.
It claimed the strike was carried out with Shahed-238 drones and said prosecutors and investigators were documenting the aftermath of the attack.
In a later statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said it struck three dry cargo ships in the port of Mykolaiv during a morning drone strike. It claimed the vessels were "used to deliver military supplies for the Ukrainian Armed Forces."
Independent verification of the claim remains difficult due to the ongoing war.
