A Cameroon-flagged, Turkish-operated roll-on/roll-off vessel, the Nadezhda, was hit by drones near the Russian port of Novorossiysk on Monday.
The attack highlights the expanding danger zone for commercial maritime traffic in the Black Sea, where military operations increasingly intersect with civilian trade routes.
The incident comes amid a broader escalation in hostilities targeting port infrastructure.
In late July, Russian forces struck three Ukrainian ports overnight, damaging loading facilities and fuel reserves.
Separately, a dry cargo vessel unloading supplies for the Ukrainian army was hit at the port of Mykolaiv on July 21, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
These events signal a sustained campaign against logistical nodes on both sides of the conflict.