The Ukrainian Army has announced attacks in the last few hours against 21 Russian tankers in the Sea of Azov, all of them, according to the Ukrainian General Staff, part of the so-called ghost fleet that Russia uses to evade international trade sanctions.
In a statement, the Ukrainian General Staff also confirmed attacks against four tugboats, two dry cargo ships, and a dredger, all of which were used for “military logistical support, transporting cargo, and supporting the operation of port infrastructure.”
The Ukrainian General Staff is currently “determining the extent of the damage”.
Russian authorities have limited themselves for the moment to confirming the death of at least one person and several injuries following a Ukrainian drone attack against four Russian vessels in the Taganrog Bay, in the south of the country and near the common border.
As stated by the governor of the Rostov region, Yuri Sliusar, “a sailor from one of the ships has died, with no other fatalities reported.”
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“In total, four vessels of different types were attacked in the Taganrog bay, one of them a tanker carrying methanol. As a result of the attack, a sailor from the technical vessel died, but there were no other casualties,” the governor reported.
According to Sliusar, the vessels have suffered various damages, but “there is no threat of a methanol spill or leak” following the attack carried out by Ukrainian forces, which reportedly used “15 drones” in total.
“More than 15 drones were destroyed during the air attack. The city of Taganrog, as well as the Azov and Neklinovski districts, were the target,” Sliusar concluded.
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Ukraine announces attacks against 21 Russian tankers and four tugboats in the Sea of Azov
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered his Armed Forces to focus upcoming attacks on Russian refineries due to fuel shortages in the country, which has created social unrest among the population, where images of long lines of vehicles at gas stations have been seen, including clashes between citizens in recent days.
Zelensky has asserted that the fuel crisis in Russia “is worsening” due to President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to end the war, and he has warned that the long-range attacks that have been launched in recent weeks will continue, for which he has announced the creation of a “special command.”
Anti-ballistic defense agreements
Zelensky urged this Saturday to advance on licensing agreements for Patriot missiles and on the joint European anti-ballistic defense project following Russia’s new overnight attack, which launched 121 drones and twelve missiles, six of them ballistic that Ukraine could not shoot down.
“We expect our partners to fulfill their promises regarding the aid packages agreed upon at the NATO summit to help protect our population. We must move as quickly as possible on licensing agreements for the Patriots and on the joint European anti-ballistic defense project. At this moment, the top priority for all our institutions is to make this a reality,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched from 18:00 on Friday six Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles from the Russian region of Bryansk, four Kh-59/69 guided air missiles from the airspace of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, and two Kh-31 anti-radar missiles from the waters of the Black Sea. President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Yves Herman
In addition, in its night attack, Russia used against Ukraine 121 Shahed, Gerbera, and Italmas attack drones and Parodia replica drones, launched from the Russian regions of Kursk, Millerovo, Oryol, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk, from the occupied zone in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk, and from Chauda and Gvardeyskoye, in Crimea, the statement on Telegram adds.
“Our defenders managed to shoot down most of the targets, but not the ballistic ones,” noted Zelensky.
Thus, according to the Air Force report, as of 08:30 on Saturday, the air defense managed to shoot down or neutralize two Kh-59/69 guided air missiles and 111 enemy drones in the north, south, and east of the country.
Impacts from ballistic missiles, two guided air missiles, and seven attack drones were recorded in eleven locations, as well as the fall of debris from downed devices in three.
Information regarding the two anti-radar missiles is being verified, the Air Force adds, which warned at the time of the report’s publication that the attack was continuing with the presence of several enemy drones in the airspace.
Zelensky reported that eleven people, including a child, were injured in Kyiv during the overnight attack and added that even before the air raid alert was issued, impacts against civilian infrastructure were already recorded.
In the Ukrainian capital, residential buildings, offices, and a theological seminary were damaged.
Debris removal efforts also continue in the regions of Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv, the president added.
