Ukraine says it has attacked a Russian “shadow fleet” tanker with aerial drones 1,250 miles (2,000km) from its borders, in the first such strike in the Mediterranean Sea since Moscow’s full-scale invasion nearly four years ago.
Friday’s strike off the coast of Libya, which reportedly caused critical damage, took place on the day of Vladimir Putin’s annual end of year press conference in which he said Russia would respond to recent Ukrainian attacks on shadow fleet tankers.
It came amid an escalating maritime conflict over the shadow fleet, a term used to describe vessels used by Russia, Iran and Venezuela to evade sanctions with deceptive practices.
Kyiv has previously targeted Russian shadow tankers in the Black Sea as it has sought to interdict an important source of revenue that is being used to finance Moscow’s illegal invasion.
Estimated to comprise more than 1,000 ships, which frequently change their flags and whose ownership is unclear, the fleet has enabled Moscow to keep exporting its crude oil for much-needed revenue despite the curbs.
Experts and several European leaders believe some vessels have been used by Russia to conduct hybrid warfare across the continent.
Commenting on the latest attack, Putin on Friday said Russia would “definitely respond” to Ukraine’s attacks on its so-called shadow fleet. “Ultimately, this will not lead to the expected result,” he said. “It will not disrupt any supplies, but will only create additional threats,” he said, without directly commenting on the latest attack in the Mediterranean.
The Russian leader has previously threatened to sever Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea in response to the attacks on tankers, which he has derided as piracy. He was speaking during his annual call-in show with the nation, a carefully choreographed event that has become a fixture of Russia’s political calendar.
The marathon broadcast, which lasted more than four hours, allows journalists and hand-picked members of the public to put questions directly to the president, projecting an image of openness while the agenda remains tightly controlled.
A source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said Friday’s attack was a “new, unprecedented special operation”. However, they did not give further details of the attack, including how the SBU deployed a drone in the Mediterranean, from where it was launched, or which countries the drones could have flown over.
The source said the cargo ship was empty at the time and no environmental threat resulted from the operation. The Ukrainian official did not say how the drones reached the ship, but said the operation involved “multi-stage” measures.
They claimed the tanker, identified as the Qendil, had “sustained critical damage and cannot be used for its intended purpose”. The tanker was being used to circumvent western sanctions and fund Russia’s war chest, they claimed, making it “an absolutely legitimate target”.
“The enemy must understand that Ukraine will not stop, and will strike them anywhere in the world, wherever they may be,” the source added.
The British maritime risk-management group, Vanguard, said: “This development reflects a stark expansion of Ukraine’s use of uncrewed aerial systems against maritime assets associated with Russia’s sanctioned oil export network.”
Speaking to the online outlet Ukrainska Pravda, a Ukrainian official justified the strike. “This tanker was used to circumvent sanctions and earn money that was used for the war against Ukraine. Therefore, from the point of view of international law and the laws and customs of war, this is an absolutely legitimate target for the SBU. The enemy must understand that Ukraine will not stop and will beat him anywhere in the world, wherever he is.”
According to Vessel Finder, the tankerwas last in port in Suez, Egypt, on 16 December and was off the coast of Libya when it turned back.
Kyiv has claimed similar hits on Russia-linked tankers off Turkey’s Black Sea coast, after two empty oil tankers were hit by explosions.
The Ukrainian attacks follow increasingly aggressive efforts by a number of countries against shadow fleet activities.
This month, US forces boarded a sanctions-hit shadow tanker off Venezuela, and the Trump administration has announced a blockade of other shadow tankers in the country as part of Donald Trump’s apparent efforts to force regime change.
European countries have also boosted efforts against shadow tankers operating in their waters amid mounting concern over the security and environmental threat posed by the ageing vessels, which often travel without automatic identification systems to avoid being tracked.
During the press conference Putin struck to his familiar hard-line on the war in Ukraine, reiterating the Kremlin’s determination to continue fighting until all of its conditions are met.
The Russian leader insisted that Moscow had no plans to invade Europe, before adding that there would be no new “special military operations” provided Russia was treated with respect and “not deceived”. Putin also called the use of frozen Russian central bank assets to finance Ukraine’s reconstruction “robbery” and said Moscow would pursue legal challenges, adding that it would “find a suitable jurisdiction” for any cases.
