Ukraine hits 2 Russian shadow fleet vessels near Novorossiysk port
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Ukrainian forces attacked two Russian shadow fleet vessels near the entrance to the port in the Russian city of Novorossiysk in the Black Sea, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 3.
"These tankers were actively used to transport oil. Now they won't be," Zelensky said, publishing purported footage of the attack.
The attack is the latest in a series of strikes as Ukraine intensifies long-range attacks on Russia's energy sector, aiming to undermine a key source of funding for Moscow’s war effort.
The operation was led by the General Staff Chief Andrii Hnatov, with the involvemnet of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Navy.
"Ukraine's long-range capabilities will be developed comprehensively — at sea, in the air, and on land," Zelensky said.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russia’s oil terminal in Novorossiysk.
Novorossiysk has become a central base for the Russian Black Sea Fleet after repeated Ukrainian strikes on occupied Crimea, increasing its importance as both a military and logistical hub.
Russia has assembled a so-called shadow fleet since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022.
The network relies on shell companies, opaque ownership structures, and frequently changing national flags to obscure ties to Moscow and bypass Western sanctions on Russian oil exports.
