Ukraine's navy sank the Russian patrol ship Izumrud on July 14, calling it "inevitable revenge" for the vessel's role in the 2018 Kerch Strait attack. The sinking is part of a wider Ukrainian campaign that has struck 116 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov in nine days and hit major oil refineries, disrupting a key route for a quarter of Russia's grain exports and prompting Moscow to accuse Kyiv of "terrorism."
Izumrud patrol ship sinking
- ▪The Izumrud was sunk by a Ukrainian Sargan-3000 sea drone off the coast near Novorossiysk in Russia's Krasnodar Krai
- ▪The Izumrud was involved in Russia's attack on three Ukrainian naval vessels in the Kerch Strait on November 25, 2018
- ▪During the 2018 Kerch Strait incident, Russian forces seized two Ukrainian gunboats and a tugboat, capturing 24 Ukrainian sailors
- ▪The Ukrainian Navy announced it hit and sank the Russian border guard patrol ship Izumrud on July 14, 2026
Ukrainian strikes on Russian infrastructure
- ▪Ukraine's military stated it struck a total of 116 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov in the nine days leading up to July 14, 2026
- ▪A Ukrainian military source stated its forces only strike military targets or those aiding Russia's war effort, not civilian cargoes
- ▪Overnight on July 14, 2026, Ukraine also struck two major Russian oil refineries: the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat complex and the Afipsky refinery
- ▪The Sea of Azov is a key shipping route that handles about a quarter of Russia's grain exports
- ▪Due to Ukrainian attacks, Russia's Ministry of Agriculture is preparing to reroute grain shipments from the Sea of Azov to alternative routes
- ▪Ukrainian drones hit 11 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov overnight into July 14, 2026, including five tankers and five dry cargo ships
- ▪Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the Ukrainian attacks on shipping as "terrorism, pure and simple."
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