Ukraine strikes Russian “shadow fleet” tankers supplying Crimea

Ukraine’s drone forces said they struck tankers from Russia’s “shadow fleet” that were delivering fuel to Russian-occupied Crimea. Kyiv said the attacks continued over two days, with eight sanctioned tankers hit in the Sea of Azov on Tuesday. Drone units later reported two more tankers struck that same day, bringing the total cited from the latest assault to ten.

The drone forces said the targeted tankers were operating on the Azov route supplying Crimea, which they described as a key supply corridor for Russian forces in the peninsula and other occupied areas of southern Ukraine. Ukraine also said earlier attacks had been carried out against other “shadow fleet” vessels in the same area.

Kyiv positioned the strikes as part of a wider campaign to isolate Crimea and disrupt Russian logistics. The Ukrainian side said its drones attacked ships involved in fuel transport and shared footage, which Reuters could not independently verify. Russian officials had not publicly commented on the strikes at the time of reporting.

The reporting also noted that Ukraine has repeatedly targeted logistics and energy infrastructure in and around Crimea in recent weeks, describing these actions as contributing to fuel shortages and prompting emergency measures on the peninsula.