Ukrainian drones struck at least three ferries near Port Kavkaz in Russia’s Krasnodar region on June 21, suspending Kerch Strait ferry service and cutting a key supply corridor to Russian-occupied Crimea.
Multiple Russian Telegram channels, including Military Informer, and open-source intelligence analysts Exilenova+ and Intelschizo confirmed the strikes. Footage appeared to show at least three vessels burning near the port.
OSINT analysts identified one of the stricken vessels as the Elena II, a passenger/ro-ro cargo ferry that started operating on the Kavkaz-Kerch route in June 2025. Formerly a Greek domestic ferry, the vessel entered Black Sea service following a four-month stay in Sevastopol and is listed in Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence War and Sanctions database as part of Russia’s invasion supply network.
У Керчі палає морський порт після масованої атаки Сил оборони.
Схоже, що файтерпєтух, який напередодні відзвітував про постачання палива на півострів, присяде на пляшку.
Також пожежі зафіксовано на території порту Кавказ у Керченській протоці та у військовій частині 98546. pic.twitter.com/412a02Xzmg
— Serhii Sternenko (@sternenko) June 21, 2026
Russia’s Krasnodar Operational Headquarters confirmed the Panagia ferry was also struck in the Kerch Strait. Authorities suspended the Port Kavkaz-to-Kerch route and directed operators to use overland routes through Rostov-on-Don, occupied Mariupol, Melitopol, and Simferopol.
The Crimean Wind Telegram channel had previously reported the vessel transporting S-300 and S-400 air defense missile components alongside civilian vehicles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the broader overnight operation on June 21, saying Ukrainian forces struck military logistics, oil industry facilities, four radar stations tied to S-400 air defense systems, and two Pantsir short-range air defense complexes roughly 186 miles from the front line. “These are just responses to the brutal Russian attacks against our people,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian drones struck a fuel terminal in Kerch, Crimea, sparking a massive fire amid ongoing attacks on energy infrastructure across the region. pic.twitter.com/0Y1lJlh0Rr
— OSINTWarfare (@OSINTWarfare) June 21, 2026
The strikes target a logistics network Russia has been reconstituting since Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) disabled the Slavyanin, Russia’s last operational railway ferry in the Kerch Strait, in a drone strike on April 6, 2026. The Elena II was among the commercial vessels Russia subsequently deployed to replace the lost military ferry capacity.
