Ukraine says drones hit Russian vessels in Caspian Sea, Iran accuses Kyiv of aggression
Ukraine reported drone strikes on two Russian ships in the Caspian Sea, claiming they were carrying Iranian military cargo, while Iran said a commercial vessel was hit and warned of retaliation.
Ukraine announced that drones struck two Russian vessels in the Caspian Sea, alleging the ships were transporting military cargo from Iran. The Ukrainian president said the targets included "ships that were involved in transporting military cargo from Iran, as well as a warship," and identified one of the vessels as a Russian missile boat.
Iran responded that a commercial ship carrying iron was hit, resulting in one death and three injuries. The vessel, which Iran did not name, was traveling from the Russian port of Astrakhan to Iran's port of Anzali, a route the Iranian regional governor described as "a safe and reliable corridor for commercial exchanges between the two ports."
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei warned that "Ukraine’s dangerous adventurism will certainly not go unanswered by us," and Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran was summoned to the Iranian foreign ministry.
The incident highlights the growing strategic importance of the Caspian Sea, which borders five countries including Iran and Russia. With Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf under blockade, the inland waterway has become a key trade route for commodities such as grain, steel, oil and gas, and for the movement of military equipment between Moscow and Tehran. Experts note that the Caspian route is less vulnerable to international sanctions because it is landlocked and largely controlled by regional states.
Ukraine’s attacks are intended to disrupt supply lines that support Russia’s war effort and to signal the role of Iran in providing weapons to Moscow. The strikes come as President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to travel to Washington for talks with U.S. officials.