Russia Claims Strikes on Ukrainian Cargo Ships at Chornomorsk and Odesa as MSC Halts Novorossiysk Bookings

Since Russian and Ukrainian drone and missile strikes spread from front-line targets to commercial shipping in the Black Sea back in July, the war has now pulled in one of the world's biggest container carriers. MSC has suspended bookings for the Russian port of Novorossiysk after one of its vessels, the MSC Ulsan III, was struck by a drone on August 25 while sailing from Novorossiysk to Turkey, according to Maritime Executive, which cited Martin Kelly of EOS Risk Group. No injuries were reported, and the ship continued on to the Sea of Marmara.

The latest reported strike goes the other direction. Russia's defense ministry told the Interfax news agency, as relayed by scanx.trade and Crypto Briefing, that its forces hit two vessels carrying military cargo bound for Ukraine at the port of Chornomorsk, and separately struck cargo vessels off the port of Odesa. Moscow did not name the ships or provide damage assessments, and no independent source has confirmed the claim. Russian defense ministry statements on strikes are frequently the only account available, and outlets covering this story, including scanx.trade, flagged that the claim originates solely from Moscow.

If accurate, it marks a shift from Russia's earlier pattern of hitting static port infrastructure toward striking ships actively underway. Maersk suspended service to Chornomorsk back on July 22 over security concerns, rerouting to Romania. Hapag-Lloyd's feeder operators followed on July 31. Container shipping had only been restored to Ukraine in 2024 after a two-year wartime halt.

The war has come for Russia's own shipping too

Ukraine's drone campaign against Black Sea shipping tied to Russia has escalated in parallel. A Fesco containership, the Yanina, sank after being struck by two drones roughly 130 miles from Novorossiysk earlier in August, prompting Fesco and Turkish operator Kalyon to halt all Black Sea sailings. On August 21, a drone struck the Turkish-flagged RMS Team near Novorossiysk, sparking a fire and leaving one seafarer missing. Ukraine's news agency also reported strikes on five grain carriers at Novorossiysk and Tuapse on August 17 and 18.

Russia says it has largely spared tankers loading at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's offshore terminal near Novorossiysk after reportedly agreeing to stop targeting them, according to Maritime Executive. Grain terminals at the port have suspended some operations regardless.

Drones hit Russian retail, not just refineries

Ukraine's strikes inside Russia have expanded past energy and military targets to online retail logistics. A drone strike destroyed a Wildberries warehouse in Kotovsk, in Russia's Tambov region, on August 26, wounding two people, according to regional governor Evgeniy Pervyshov, cited by the Epoch Times. Russian forces reportedly intercepted 16 of 19 incoming drones that night.

Zelenskyy said on X on August 23 that Ukraine is targeting Wildberries "because it involves both the supply of military goods and big money for Russia," and argued that Russia's own strikes on Ukrainian civilian businesses since 2022 "led us to respond in kind." Moscow and the retailers named in the strikes deny the accusations tying them to military supply chains. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree on August 26 letting the state take over infrastructure operators that fail to restore service after drone damage, and offering tax deferrals and inspection freezes to businesses whose losses exceed 5 percent of annual income. At least 20 Wildberries sites have been hit since July.

Deadliest strike on Ukraine this year, still no deal

The shipping war is unfolding against the backdrop of the deadliest single attack on Ukraine so far this year. Officials said a Russian strike near Kyiv on August 29 killed at least 37 people and damaged more than 50 residential buildings in Bucha, according to the Associated Press, as reported by Breitbart. Kyiv regional administration head Tymur Tkachenko said the fire swept through homes after a warehouse in the village of Myla was hit. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian law bars storing ammunition near civilian homes and that criminal proceedings had opened against those responsible. Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi drew a direct comparison to a July strike on an ammunition depot in Vyshneve that killed 22, calling the repeat failure "criminal negligence." Russia's defense ministry said it had targeted a warehouse storing drone components and launch boosters, along with logistics facilities it said stored parts for Ukraine's Flamingo cruise missiles.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at an economic forum, as reported by scanx.trade, that he remains open to a peace settlement and that the U.S. and China are ready to support one, while insisting responsibility for ending the war rests with Moscow and Kyiv. President Trump has said he will meet Putin only once Russia is ready to close a deal. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has partly blamed a global "energy shock" on Ukraine's strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, and Russia's 2026 oil output forecast has fallen to a 17-year low, contributing to domestic gasoline shortages and export limits.

Whether Russia's claimed strikes on Chornomorsk and Odesa shipping get independently verified, and whether MSC's Novorossiysk suspension becomes permanent, will shape how much of the Black Sea remains open to commercial traffic on either side heading into the fall.