Russia says it struck a dry cargo ship at Port of Chornomorsk
Ukraine has not confirmed the claim, which comes as US and Russian envoys meet in Washington over a possible halt to energy-site strikes
Published
Map: The Black Sea, marking Chornomorsk
Russia says its forces struck a dry cargo vessel at the Port of Chornomorsk, one of Ukraine's key Black Sea grain export terminals. Moscow has not detailed casualties or the extent of damage, and Ukraine has not confirmed the strike took place.
The claim comes during an active round of diplomacy over the war. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev in Washington, following Dmitriev's talks there on Wednesday and a separate session between Marco Rubio and Sergei Lavrov in New York. Emmanuel Macron has proposed a two-way freeze on strikes against refineries and energy grids, arguing that Russia treats Europe as Ukraine's strategic depth. Separately, Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine struck two refineries inside Russia overnight.
The strike on export infrastructure fits a pattern of Russian attacks on the civilian logistics and supply chains that keep Ukraine's grain trade running. It also lands alongside Russia's own move to cut its export capacity even as it intensifies pressure on Ukraine's. Taken together, the two point toward Moscow prioritising disruption over economic recovery, a stance that sits uneasily with the prospect of near-term peace talks.