Russian forces hit Black Sea cargo ships and seize two Ukrainian villages

The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces destroyed two cargo vessels in the Black Sea that were transporting weapons for the Ukrainian army. The strikes, carried out with armed drones, targeted the ships south‑east of Odessa.

In a separate operation, Russian troops announced the capture of two additional settlements in Ukraine: the village of Rıjevka in the Sumy region and the village of Zarnitsa in the Zaporizhzhia region. The ministry claimed that about 1,380 Ukrainian soldiers were neutralised, eleven armored fighting vehicles were destroyed, and numerous Ukrainian logistical sites and foreign mercenary positions were hit. Russian air‑defence units also reported intercepting guided bombs, two U.S.-made HIMARS rockets and a large number of UAVs.