Ukrainian drone crews hit 14 more Russian vessels overnight on July 12, raising the number of shadow fleet ships struck in a week to 90. Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, announced the figure the same day. Ten of the 14 were tankers and four were ferries.
The forces gave a breakdown by location. In the Sea of Azov, drone operators hit ten tankers and one ferry. Units named in the operation were the 9th Kairos Battalion of the 414th Brigade, the 1st Center and the 412th Nemesis Regiment. Another three ferries were struck near Kerch, in temporarily occupied Crimea, by operators of the 413th Raid Regiment.
All of the vessels, the Unmanned Systems Forces said, carried fuel and military cargo and supported the occupying forces’ logistics across the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait.
A Strike Every 112 Minutes
Brovdi said his forces went after tankers, tugboats, ferries and bulk carriers in the Sea of Azov at an average interval of every 112 minutes. The overnight attack followed two heavy days. On July 11, Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck 21 Russian tankers along with tugboats, bulk carriers and other vessels in the Azov. A day earlier, on July 10, the Unmanned Systems Forces reported hitting 13 tankers belonging to the shadow fleet.
Defense Express analysts estimated that about 120 Russian vessels may currently be operating in the Sea of Azov, most of them bulk carriers. The weekly count covers July 6 to 13.
The Unmanned Systems Forces argue that the pace of the strikes is paying off. In their words, systematic attacks on tankers and ferries that Russia uses to get around international sanctions are hampering fuel supplies, disrupting the occupiers’ military logistics and weakening their ability to fight.
Sources
- Ukraine Struck Another 14 russian Shadow Fleet Vessels, Bringing the Total to 90 in Just One Week | Defense Express
- Ukraine hits 14 more Russian vessels, bringing weekly total to 90 – Madyar
