Near Yalta, a Ukrainian drone struck a tanker belonging to Russia's shadow fleet

On the morning of July 8, the Ukrainian maritime drone Sea Baby broke through enemy air defenses and struck the Russian Federation’s “Blue” shadow fleet tanker near occupied Crimea. The vessel sustained significant damage.

This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine.

At the time of the strike, the vessel was near the temporarily occupied city of Yalta, within Ukraine’s exclusive economic zone. Sea Baby struck the stern of the tanker, causing significant damage.

Enemy aircraft attempted to engage the maritime drone but were unsuccessful, the SBU added.

<picture></picture>Map showing the location where the “Blue” tanker was struck. Photo: screenshot from an SBU video

The “Blue” tanker is considered part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet. The vessel is subject to sanctions imposed by the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Ukraine for its involvement in transporting Russian oil in circumvention of international restrictions.

The “Blue” belongs to the Suezmax class. These are large tankers designed to transport significant volumes of oil and petroleum products via sea routes.

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The SBU stated that attacks on shadow fleet vessels are aimed at reducing Russia’s oil revenues. By using such tankers, Russia continues to export oil in circumvention of sanctions and receive funds which, according to the security service, are used to finance the war against Ukraine.

The security service also emphasized that striking tankers involved in supporting the Russian war economy increases logistics costs for Russia and complicates oil exports.

Ірина Глухова