Ukrainian naval drones struck and disabled a sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tanker in Ukraine’s Black Sea economic waters, the third such attack in two weeks; Kyiv says it aims to cut Russia’s oil revenue.
Ukrainian unmanned surface drones struck a Russian oil tanker on Wednesday and disabled it as it sailed toward the port of Novorossiysk through Ukraine’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea.
The attack was the third in the past two weeks on vessels linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” the term used for tankers sailing under non Russian flags that Kyiv says help Moscow sell oil by bypassing international sanctions and finance its war in Ukraine. Video released by Ukrainian officials showed the unmanned boats racing toward the large tanker followed by powerful explosions.
A source in Ukraine’s Security Service confirmed to Reuters that Kyiv was behind the strike on the tanker Dashan. The tanker was moving at top speed with its transponders switched off before its stern was hit, causing critical damage. The source did not say whether there were casualties.
Three maritime security sources also confirmed the attack on Dashan, which is under European Union and British sanctions and has been sailing without a flag.
“The Security Service continues active measures to reduce Russia’s oil revenues,” the Ukrainian source said. “Over the last two weeks this is the third shadow fleet tanker that helped the Kremlin evade international sanctions and has been taken out of service.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened last week to cut off Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea in response to the tanker strikes, which he mocked as “pirate attacks.” Ukraine has also hit Russian refineries for months using long range aerial drones, causing damage far from the front lines.
Since December 2024 there have been at least seven attacks on tankers that called at Russian ports in various regions, including the Mediterranean. Maritime security officials have said Ukraine is suspected of carrying out those attacks with sea mines, but Kyiv has neither confirmed nor denied that. As the conflict spreads at sea, war risk insurance costs for ships sailing to the Black Sea have surged, and insurers are reassessing coverage daily.
About a week and a half ago Ukrainian media published footage of strikes on shadow fleet oil tankers in the Black Sea near Turkey. The videos, filmed from the drones that hit the ships close to the Bosporus, later showed the tankers burning. A Ukrainian security official said the two vessels suffered critical damage and were effectively put out of service, dealing a significant blow to Russian oil transport.
The attack on Russian oil tankers near Turkey about a week and a half ago
CNN quoted a Ukrainian official claiming responsibility for those earlier attacks and said the drones used were Sea Baby models, a kamikaze style unmanned boat. Ukraine said in October that it had upgraded the Sea Baby to extend its range to about 1,500 kilometers, roughly 930 miles, allowing it to operate across the Black Sea. Kyiv says the craft can carry a payload of up to 2,000 kilograms.
The strike came as diplomatic efforts to end the war remained stuck. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sent Washington an updated Ukrainian version of the peace plan promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump after visiting several European countries in recent days. Zelensky met European leaders in London and Brussels on Monday, then traveled to Italy on Tuesday to meet Pope Leo XIV and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
In an interview with Politico on Tuesday, Trump said his push for a settlement had reached an impasse after a summit last week between Putin and Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. After that meeting the Kremlin said the U.S. peace proposal contained “unacceptable” clauses, and Putin reiterated that he would not give up his demand for Kyiv to withdraw completely from the parts of the Donbas region still under Ukrainian control.
After the failed summit Trump’s envoys met Ukrainian representatives in Florida for three days of talks last week. Trump said a revised peace proposal had been prepared, one he claimed Zelensky had not yet read, but that Putin allegedly supported.
Zelensky has said the United States is pressing him to compromise on territory, and he has insisted Ukraine will not give up land in exchange for peace.
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