Ukraine officially confirmed that it carried out successful attacks on Russian oil tankers that were used to circumvent international sanctions. According to NYT, Ukrainian drones conducted four attacks on vessels of the 'shadow fleet' in the Black and Mediterranean Seas.
The operations are notable for their geography: three tankers were attacked by sea drones in the Black Sea, while a fourth vessel was struck by aerial drones in the Mediterranean Sea, over 2000 km from Ukraine's borders. At the time of the attacks, the vessels were empty and heading towards Russian ports, including Novorossiysk. Additionally, in the last ten days, attacks on Russian oil extraction platforms in the Caspian Sea have been recorded.
Kyiv's Strategy and Attack Goals
According to experts, Ukraine's strategy has several key objectives:
- increasing logistics and insurance costs for Russian oil exports;
- limiting the Kremlin's main source of income – oil;
- a request to Western partners to strengthen sanctions pressure on the 'shadow fleet,' consisting of hundreds of old vessels under foreign flags.
Kyiv had previously avoided attacks on oil infrastructure due to threats to global prices, but is now changing its tactics to undermine the economic foundation of Russian aggression. Despite Putin's threats to retaliate, experts believe that new attacks will gradually cut off funding for Moscow's military actions.
Successful SBU Special Operations
The Security Service of Ukraine conducted a successful special operation abroad. One of the operations targeted a tanker named 'QENDIL' of Russia's 'shadow fleet' in the Mediterranean, which was not carrying any cargo at the time of the attack.
Additionally, the SBU, together with the Naval Forces, destroyed a Russian submarine of the 'Varshavyanka' class in Novorossiysk port with four 'Kalibr' missile launchers, leading to the loss of this submarine. A unique feature of the operation was the use of underwater drones 'Sub Sea Baby.'
The drones of the SBU's Special Operations Center 'Alpha' have attacked the oil extraction platforms of 'Lukoil-Nizhnevolzhskneft' in the Caspian Sea for the third time.
Ukraine has excelled in a series of successful attacks on Russian oil tankers, aiming to limit the Kremlin's income and undermine the economic foundation of Russian aggression.