2 Russian shadow fleet tankers hit by drones in Black Sea, SBU says
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Ukrainian sea drones struck two Russian shadow fleet tankers in the Black Sea, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on July 6.
Russia's shadow fleet consists of thousands of aging, often uninsured vessels, which the Kremlin uses to transport oil and evade sanctions.
Moscow finances its war machine in Ukraine through profits from oil exports while also using the ships to supply fuel to occupied Ukrainian territories.
According to the SBU, the two vessels hit were the tankers Louise 1 and Banda.
"The destruction of the shadow fleet ships is a systematic deprivation of the Kremlin of money for war," the SBU said in a post on social media.
"It is these tankers, contrary to international sanctions, that transport Russian oil and fill the budget of the aggressor state with billions of dollars. Therefore, each strike on the shadow fleet is a direct blow to the ability of the Russian Federation to continue aggression," it added.
The strikes come amid a dramatic escalation in Ukraine's attacks against Russian shipping in recent weeks.
A series of now daily reports by Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, have detailed aerial drone strikes on Russian shipping in the Sea of Azov as part of Ukraine's wider campaign to strangle occupied Crimea.
The military says the targeted vessels support Russia's military logistics by transporting cargo and servicing port infrastructure.
As of July 14, Brovdi said Ukrainian drones had attacked 116 vessels in the Sea of Azov.
This campaign was widened to include the Black Sea on July 15 with 20 vessels being targeted overnight.
