Ukrainian drones reportedly struck a vessel at the Port of Rostov overnight on December 18, according to officials in Russia’s Rostov Oblast, triggering a large fire and casualties

Images and videos shared on social media by local residents appeared to show significant flames rising from the port area following the attack. Rostov-on-Don Mayor Alexander Skryabin said in a Telegram statement that emergency services were working to extinguish a fire on a tanker that he claimed had been hit by Ukrainian drones. Skryabin further alleged that three people were killed and others injured in the incident.

Rostov Oblast Governor Yuri Slyusar also confirmed that a vessel had been damaged in the attack, though he did not initially specify the type of ship involved. Later, Slyusar appeared to contradict earlier reports, stating that the target was not an oil tanker but a “cargo ship.”

Russian officials said no petroleum products were spilled into the water as a result of the strike. The Kyiv Independent noted that it was unable to independently verify the claims made by Russian authorities or determine the exact type of vessel that was hit.

Ukraine’s military has not commented on the reported incident.

The alleged strike comes amid an intensified Ukrainian campaign targeting Russian oil infrastructure and Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” a network of aging and often uninsured tankers used to transport Russian oil under foreign flags to evade sanctions.

Earlier this month, a source in Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent that Sea Baby naval drones struck the Dashan oil tanker on December 10, inflicting what was described as “critical damage.” In late November, similar drones reportedly targeted the sanctioned Russian oil tankers Kairos and Virat in the Black Sea near Turkey’s coast, disabling both vessels.

Ukraine has increasingly relied on domestically developed drones to carry out long-range strikes against military and industrial targets inside Russia. Kyiv has framed its campaign against Russian oil and gas infrastructure as an effort to undermine a key revenue source supporting Moscow’s ongoing war against Ukraine. (ILKHA)