Ukrainian Drone Strikes Hammer Russian “Shadow Fleet” Tankers: The Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS) struck 21 tankers and seven other ships belonging to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” in the Sea of Azov during an overnight operation on July 11, according to the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert “Madyar” Brovdi.
Brovdi said that Ukrainian drones hit 21 tankers, four tugboats, two dry cargo vessels, and one specialized vessel, recording 73 successful strikes during the overnight operation.
Su-35. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
“The shadow tanker fleet is noticeably shrinking,” Brovdi wrote on the Telegram app. “It appears traffic through the Kerch Strait has been stopped.”
“Russia temporarily stopped shipping through the Don-Azov Channel, a navigable waterway linking the Don River with the Sea of Azov,” Reuters confirmed, citing three grain export industry sources.
The Sea of Azov is a key supply route for Russian forces fighting in Crimea and other occupied parts of southern Ukraine. It also serves as the transshipment point where Russia exports 25 percent of its grain.
Ukraine’s Crimean Switch Off Campaign
Ukraine has stepped up attacks on logistics, bridges, major highways, and energy infrastructure in Crimea in recent weeks, contributing to fuel shortages and prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency in the peninsula, a critical hub for Russia’s war effort.
According to Reuters’ sources, Russia’s border guards informed shipping companies they would no longer accept applications for passage through the Kerch Strait, which connects the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea, beginning at 6:10 p.m. local time on July 10. The notice did not specify when the restrictions would be lifted.
“Overnight on 11 July, the Birds of the Unmanned Systems Forces hit 21 tankers, 4 tugs, 2 cargo vessels, and 1 special-purpose vessel in the Sea of Azov,” Ukraine’s 414th Separate Unmanned Strike Aviation System Brigade posted on X.
Bohdan, a drone pilot from the Unmanned Systems Battalion of Ukraine’s 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade, pilots an FPV drone in Donetsk Oblast during active battle operations. Photo: David Kirichenko
The Ukrainians also claimed to have struck “53 legitimate military targets engaged deep inside the enemy’s rear in Crimea and the southern part of the temporarily occupied territories, including fleet assets and energy infrastructure. Operation ‘Crimean Switch Off’ has no end date.”
“The technological humiliation of the empire continues,” the Ukrainians added. “It will fall because of Crimea.”
The Sea of Azov drone campaign is part of much wider Ukrainian efforts to isolate the Crimean peninsula as well as strike at Russia’s energy infrastructure to damage its economy and reduce its ability to continue the war.
“Moscow Will Fall,” Brovdi Says
“I have a dilemma: when sending a tanker to Crimea, is the worm building up courage or stupidity?” Brovdi joked.
He added that Ukrainian forces struck five electrical substations in occupied Crimea, including the 110-kilovolt Berehove substation in Molochne, the 110-kilovolt Saky substation, the 110-kilovolt Mainaky substation in Yevpatoria, the 110-kilovolt Novoozerna substation in Medvedeve, and the 35-kilovolt Medvedeve substation.
“We will stand. Moscow will fall. We will restore Crimea and bring it back to prosperity,” Brovdi posted on Facebook.
Attacking The Shadow Fleet Is Weakening Russia
Ukraine’s drone strategy in attacking oil and gas industries and now the shadow fleet is Kyiv’s way of grinding down Russia’s war machine.
Ukraine has targeted the Russian shadow fleet to intensify “pressure on sanctions-busting shippers and insurers at a time when Russian oil exports are already under strain,” according to the London-based defense and security think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
Russia employs an aging but vast fleet of tankers, the Russian “shadow fleet”—or “ghost fleet,” which is a clandestine network of hundreds of oil tankers Russia uses to circumvent G7 and European Union price cap sanctions imposed on its energy exports following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
This fleet accounts for up to 75 percent of Russia’s seaborne oil trade, generating billions to fund its war efforts against Ukraine.
The Ukrainian drone unit, which goes by the X-handle of “414 Magyar’s Birds,” has posted numerous videos of its attacks on Russian shipping in the Sea of Azov, while ridiculing the Russians.
These attacks have taken a huge toll on Russia’s ability to move gas, oil, and military supplies across the Sea of Azov. Earlier in the war, Ukrainian drones and anti-ship missiles savaged Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, including sinking the fleet’s flagship, the Moskva, and forcing it to largely relocate from Crimea to Novorossiysk.
Western nations have escalated their own tactics against these shadow fleet vessels. Armed forces from the U.K., supported by allies like France, have conducted high-profile operations to board, seize, and detain vessels (such as the Cameroon-flagged Smurtos) suspected of transporting Russian oil outside international sanctions regimes.
MORE – Moscow Is Under Siege from Drone Strikes
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications
