On the night of 7 July, Ukrainian drones destroyed eight tankers belonging to Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’, which are used to circumvent international sanctions. This was announced by Robert Brovdi, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces.
- On the night of 7 July, eight tankers belonging to the Russian Federation’s “shadow fleet” were destroyed.
- Robert Brovdy, Commander of the SBS, confirmed the results of the operation.
- All the tankers are subject to international sanctions.
- The vessels were used to transport Russian energy resources.
- Attacks on oil tankers will complicate the logistics of oil exports.
A massive strike against Russia’s “shadow fleet”
Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces Robert Brovdi stated that, during the night, Ukrainian units had carried out strikes against eight tankers belonging to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”. According to Ukraine and its international partners, these vessels are being used to circumvent sanctions and export Russian oil and petroleum products.
All the tankers in question are already subject to international sanctions. These include: the “Venera-3”, “Sanar-1”, “Sanar-17”, “Klymena”, “Teti”, “Aleksey Savrasov”, “Penelope” and one other vessel, the name of which is currently being verified. It is known that all the tankers were built between 2006 and 2012, have a deadweight of around 7,000 tonnes and are approximately 140 metres long.
The significance of the strikes against the “shadow fleet”
“Russia’s ”shadow fleet” is used to transport oil in circumvention of international sanctions, thereby ensuring a flow of foreign currency revenue into the Russian budget. Striking such vessels could complicate the logistics of energy exports and affect the ability to finance the war.
At present, no official confirmation of the extent of the damage to the vessels or any response from the Russian side has been made public.
