Ukraine Claims It Struck 12 Vessels of Russia's 'Shadow Fleet' in the Black Sea

Ukraine reported that it successfully targeted 12 vessels belonging to the Russian 'shadow fleet' in the Black Sea during the nighttime hours on Thursday. According to a statement by Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces Commander Robert Brovdi, the operation was carried out to prevent Russia from bypassing international sanctions with Kremlin support.

According to Brovdi, a total of 159 more Russian vessels were struck in the past ten days, including 117 in the Sea of Azov and 42 in the Black Sea. The primary objective of the attacks was to disrupt Russia's shipment of oil and fuel to eastern Ukraine and the occupied territories of Crimea. However, these figures announced by Kyiv have not yet been independently verified.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has significantly increased its attacks on Russia's logistics and energy infrastructure. In response, Moscow attempted to sustain shipments between southern Russian ports and Crimea using small vessels. Ukraine, on the other hand, aims to further disrupt Russia's supply chain and paralyze logistics movements in the region with its 'Molochka' operation launched in July.