Ukrainian forces carried out long-range strikes against an Iranian commercial vessel and a Russian warship in the Caspian Sea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced, describing the operation as having achieved “very strong results.”

Zelensky said the vessels were involved in transporting military cargo connected to Iran. He did not identify either vessel or provide additional details about the operation.

Iran’s Fars news agency later reported that an Iranian commercial vessel was struck in the Caspian Sea early Saturday, causing an explosion that killed one crew member and wounded another. Tehran strongly condemned the attack and said Ukraine and its international supporters would bear responsibility for the consequences.

Zelensky said the Caspian operation was part of a broader series of Ukrainian long-range strikes against targets supporting Russia’s war effort. He said Ukrainian forces had also targeted an oil refinery in Tyumen, a logistics facility in Yekaterinburg and a fuel and lubricants depot in Rostov-on-Don.

Ukraine did not provide independent evidence showing the damage caused at the targeted sites, and Russia did not immediately comment on the strikes.

Kyiv has repeatedly accused Iran of supplying Russia with Shahed attack drones and related technology for use against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. Iran has denied providing weapons for use in the war, while acknowledging that it supplied Russia with a limited number of drones before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Caspian Sea strikes mark a significant expansion of Ukraine’s long-range campaign against Russian military logistics and infrastructure, extending operations to vessels allegedly connected to Iranian military shipments.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)