Russia said it had carried out strikes on three cargo vessels in the Black Sea and near Ukrainian ports, as well as on two electrical substations in Ukraine.
According to the ministry, one container ship was hit while delivering weapons and military equipment to the port of Odesa. A second container ship was struck in the port of Chornomorsk, while a dry cargo vessel was hit southwest of Odesa. Moscow claims that the latter vessel was carrying weapons and military equipment for the Ukrainian armed forces.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense also reported that electrical substations in Dnipropetrovsk and Zhytomyr regions had been hit. According to the Russian side, they supplied power to enterprises in Ukraine’s defense industry.
More than 600,000 people were left without power
Ukrainian energy company DTEK reported that a Russian overnight attack had damaged energy facilities in Dnipropetrovsk Region. “Important energy facilities in the region were damaged in an overnight attack,” the company said. According to DTEK, the outages affected more than 600,000 people.
Ukrainian authorities did not immediately comment on Russia’s specific claims regarding the three vessels.
The reports come amid intensified Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports, transport infrastructure and energy facilities. Strikes on the electricity grid are particularly sensitive ahead of winter, when damage to substations and power plants can lead to prolonged power outages and limit the operations of industrial enterprises.
Sources: streetinsider.com, new.streetinsider.com