Summary:
On 25 July 2026 Ukrainian forces carried out long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea against vessels used for military cargo shipments involving Iran, a Russian warship and an offshore oil platform. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that an Iranian commercial vessel had been attacked early that morning, causing an explosion that killed one sailor and injured another. President Zelenskyy said the Defence Forces achieved “very strong results with long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea – including vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran, as well as a warship.” The Security Service of Ukraine named the Russian-flagged vessels Port Olya-2 and Begey, a Project 12418 Molniya-class missile boat and the Filanovsky oil platform. Iran condemned the attack as an act of aggression, reserved the right to retaliate, and said responsibility also rests with Ukraine’s supporters. The Caspian operations formed part of a wider Ukrainian package on 24–25 July that also struck a military enterprise in Kirov, the Antipinsky oil refinery in Tyumen, a Wildberries facility in Yekaterinburg, a Rostov fuel depot and air-defence assets.
Detailed Report
1. Ukraine Claims Hits on Iran-Linked Ships in the Caspian
Ukrainian forces struck targets in the Caspian Sea on 25 July. President Zelenskyy stated that the Defence Forces had achieved “very strong results with long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea – including vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran, as well as a warship.” The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) reported that its drones had targeted the Port Olya-2 cargo ship and the Begey general cargo vessel, both under international sanctions, along with a Project 12418 Molniya-class missile boat and an offshore oil extraction platform at the Filanovsky field.
According to the SSU, Begey had previously carried ammunition, artillery shells, body armour and helmets from Iran and had regularly called at Iran’s Amirabad Port, a facility Ukrainian authorities link to the transfer of Iranian-made attack drones. The service stated that the vessel’s Automatic Identification System had been switched off during relevant voyages.
2. Tehran Condemns the Strike as an Act of Aggression
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated: “Tehran strongly condemns the attack by the Ukrainian regime on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea early this morning. The attack led to an explosion on the ship, the death of one sailor and the injury of another sailor. The Ukrainian attack on the Iranian vessel is an act of aggression that threatens to ignite the fire and further expand its scope.”
Tehran characterised the strike as evidence of the Ukrainian regime’s irrational and hostile approach towards Iran, reserved the right to respond, and said responsibility for the consequences rested with that regime and its supporters. Iranian statements did not name the vessel or identify the nationality of the casualties.
3. Ukrainian Long-Range Operations of 24–25 July
The Caspian strikes formed one element of a larger set of long-range operations conducted across the night of 24–25 July and into 25 July. On 24 July Ukrainian forces struck a military-industrial enterprise in Kirov that supplies components for Russian aviation and missile systems. Zelenskyy stated that day: “Our Defence Forces today struck one of the important military enterprises in Russian Kirov. It supplies components for the occupier’s aviation and missile systems, which are used, in particular, in the massive attacks against our cities and communities.” Kirov regional governor Alexander Sokolov reported that the strike had killed six people and injured 26.
Overnight and into 25 July the campaign continued with strikes on the Antipinsky oil refinery in Tyumen, more than 2,000 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. Ukrainian Special Operations Forces drones hit the facility, which has a processing capacity of roughly 7.5 to 9 million tons annually; fires were reported. The same package included a Wildberries logistics facility in Yekaterinburg, a fuel and lubricants depot in the Rostov region, and air-defence and electronic-warfare targets in the Rostov area, among them a 92N6E radar associated with the S-400 system, a Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile system, a Pole-21 electronic warfare complex, and two warehouses storing FPV drones.
Zelenskyy described the overall operations as “long-range sanctions” applied in response to Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory.
4. Vessel Background and the Iran–Russia Caspian Route
Port Olya-2 (IMO 9481881) is a Russian-flagged general cargo ship owned by the sanctioned company MG-Flot LLC, formerly Transmorflot. It has been linked to the supply of military goods from Iran to Russia and has recorded port calls at Iranian Caspian ports including Bandar Anzali and Amirabad. Begey (IMO 8943210) is a Russian-flagged dry cargo vessel previously documented carrying ammunition, artillery shells, body armour and helmets from Iranian ports across the Caspian. Both vessels are under sanctions imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Ukraine.
The Caspian Sea has served for several years as a route for transfers of military-related cargo between Iran and Russia. Ukrainian authorities have cited this logistics corridor as the basis for targeting the named vessels. Iranian statements on 25 July did not address the prior activity of Port Olya-2 or Begey.
Conclusion
The 25 July Caspian strikes marked both a geographic expansion of Ukraine’s long-range campaign and a direct clash with Iranian interests. Kyiv identified the targets as Russian vessels used for military cargo with Iran; Tehran stated that an Iranian commercial vessel had been hit and a sailor killed. The competing accounts of what was struck remain unresolved.