On July 25, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukrainian long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea had targeted vessels used to transport military cargo linked to the Iranian regime.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy said the operation had achieved "very significant results" and that a Russian warship had also been hit. He did not provide further details, and Russia has not officially responded.
The Iranian regime's vessels in the Caspian Sea were only part of the operation's target list. According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian forces also struck a company in Kirov that manufactures components for weapons used by Russia, an oil refinery in Tyumen, a logistics center in Yekaterinburg, and a fuel and lubricants depot in Rostov-on-Don.
Kirov is located approximately 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Zelenskyy described the operation as "long-range sanctions" carried out in response to continued Russian attacks.
The Caspian Sea has become the primary route for transporting military supplies between the Iranian regime and Russia. Because it is a landlocked body of water, the United States has neither a naval presence there nor the ability to inspect suspicious vessels.
Ukraine has previously conducted operations in the Caspian Sea. In late July or early August 2025, the cargo vessel Port Olya-4 was reportedly destroyed while transporting Shahed-136 drones and ammunition from Iran to Russia. On December 12, 2025, two vessels that had been sanctioned by the United States were also reportedly targeted near the coast of Kalmykia.
Earlier, on March 18, 2026, Israel struck the Iranian port of Bandar-e Anzali, leaving Amirabad as Iran's only major operational port on the Caspian Sea.
