Ukraine’s military said on Tuesday that its drones struck eight tankers from Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ overnight as they were delivering fuel to Crimea.In a statement posted on Telegram, Ukraine’s drone forces said the vessels were targeted in the Sea of Azov. The drone forces said the tankers were ‘delivering fuel to Crimea’ and that each vessel, already under international sanctions, had a deadweight of around 7,000 tonnes.The strikes came a day after Ukraine said it had targeted two other vessels from Russia’s “shadow fleet” operating in the same area, signalling an intensified effort against maritime supply routes linked to Russian-occupied Crimea.According to Reuters, Ukraine’s drone forces said the strikes were aimed at disrupting Russian military supply lines, stating, “Striking the enemy’s naval logistics complicates the supply of fuel and ammunition necessary to support the activities of Russian troops, primarily in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.”In a post on X, the Unmanned Systems Forces also released black-and-white drone footage that it said showed the vessels being struck and erupting into flames, the post read, “These tankers are part of the Azov–Crimea fuel route, transporting gasoline and petroleum products between russian ports, the Kerch Strait, and occupied Crimea. When fully loaded, 8 tankers of this class could carry approximately 40,000–50,000 tonnes of fuel.”The latest strikes come as Ukraine has stepped up attacks on logistics and energy infrastructure in Crimea in recent weeks. According to Reuters, the campaign has contributed to fuel shortages and prompted authorities to declare a state of emergency in parts of the peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, eight years before launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.Kyiv has repeatedly urged its Western allies to tighten enforcement against Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”, vessels accused of helping Moscow circumvent international sanctions by transporting Russian oil to global markets.Ukraine has also used naval drones to target tankers transporting Russian oil in the Black Sea as part of a broader effort to disrupt Moscow’s energy revenues and military supply chains, Reuters reported.In recent months, several tankers that had previously called at Russian ports have also been hit by unexplained explosions. Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in those incidents, although maritime security sources cited by Reuters have suspected Kyiv was behind the attacks.
