RUSSIA AND UKRAINE STRIKE EACH OTHER'S PORTS ON BLACK SEA

Russian forces struck Ukraine's Izmail port in southern Odesa on Thursday, setting off a fire at port infrastructure, regional authorities said. The attack followed a Ukrainian strike on Russia's Novoressiysk port a day earlier. Ukrainian officials said that operation, described as "unique" by President Volodymyr Zelensky, involved rockets, jet drones and naval drones targeting the Russian naval base. Local officials in Novorossiysk reported three people killed, including an eight-year-old child, and 24 injured. Ukraine's military said four Russian warships, including two frigates, were hit; Russia has not commented on the claims.

Izmail, close to the Romanian border, is home to Ukraine's largest Danube port and handles grain and other commodities. Two major grain export terminals at Novorossiysk were damaged in the Ukrainian strike, according to reports. Russia's agriculture ministry said it was working to redirect cargo flows to ports in the Baltic and Caspian Seas as well as land routes, citing "current logistical constraints" but making no reference to the attacks. The strikes reflect an uptick in Black Sea exchanges this summer after a period of relative calm.

In a CNN interview, President Zelensky said Ukraine requires five percent of the United States' Patriot interceptor missile stockpile to survive the winter and ten percent to destroy all Russian ballistic projectiles. He stated Ukraine has "two and a half times less interceptors than we had in 2025", whilst Russia possesses "two times more ballistic missiles per month than they had before". Ukraine has reported an acute shortage of Patriot interceptors since the US and Israel launched war on Iran in February, diverting supplies of the advanced systems.