Nine tankers were hit overnight on July 8 in the Sea of Azov, Ukraine said. It was the last stretch of a three-day run that, by Kyiv’s count, left 21 Russian-linked vessels struck.
Commander Robert “Magyar” Brovdi of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces gave the breakdown: two vessels on July 6, ten on July 7, nine on the night of July 8. Ukraine said the targets were 19 oil tankers, one cargo ship and one ferry near Kerch, all used to bring fuel to Russian-occupied Crimea. The 414th Separate Brigade, known as “Magyar’s Birds,” confirmed the figures on X. It said the operation was coordinated by the newly established Deep Strike Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces, with the 413th Separate Regiment “Raid” and the 1st Separate Center also taking part.
Brovdi named eight of the ships. Citing Equasis records, the maritime security firm Ambrey listed the tankers Venus III, Sanar-1, Sanar-17, Teti, Aleksey Savrasov, Penelope and Climene, plus the dredger Ivan Cheremisinov.
What Ambrey made of it
Ambrey said the first 12 strikes, counted through July 7, were already the most vessels targeted in 48 hours since the war began. “The Sea of Azov strikes this week are more than another development in the Black Sea conflict,” the firm said, calling them “a significant escalation” and “a genuine shift in how this war is being fought at sea.”
Many of the ships are under sanctions from Ukraine, the European Union or the United States, or belong to operators facing similar penalties for carrying Russian oil. Ambrey thought, though, that they were picked for their role in supplying Crimea, not for their sanctions status.
It also warned of a “realistic possibility” that Russia would hit back at Ukraine-linked commercial shipping in the coming days. Ships waiting at Sulina Anchorage, including those headed for Ukrainian Danube and Black Sea ports, would be at higher risk. In similar situations, Ambrey said, Russian retaliation has usually come within two to five days.
Videos from the Unmanned Systems Forces appeared to show drones hitting vessels’ bridges and accommodation blocks. Those are where crews are normally found, Ambrey noted, which raises the danger to civilian seafarers.
Russia’s side
Regional officials said eight of the vessels were at anchor and two were sailing toward Rostov-on-Don when struck. None carried cargo, they said. One crew had to be evacuated and two people were injured. Russian authorities said they shot down about 70 drones over 11 districts of the Rostov region. Media reports said Russia had grouped tankers in Taganrog Bay, the largest bay in the Sea of Azov, while patrol ships stayed in port.
A wider campaign
Ukraine said it also hit 53 military targets overnight in Crimea and the occupied south. Under its “Crimean Switch Off” campaign, six more power substations were struck, taking the total of power facilities targeted between July 1 and July 8 to 50. Overnight attacks reportedly also reached the Saratov refinery, pipeline facilities, energy sites in Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, and the Borisoglebsk military airfield in the Voronezh region.
Earlier in the week a Ukrainian strike hit the Omsk refinery in Siberia, about 1,700 miles from Ukrainian-controlled territory. Reuters reported the plant processed about 460,000 barrels of crude per day last year, and two industry sources told it the refinery stopped processing after the attack. Parts of Russia face gasoline and diesel shortages, with long queues at stations and purchase limits in some regions. Russia announced on Wednesday a temporary ban on diesel exports until July 31. RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan acknowledged the problem on state television: “There is no petrol.”
Russia struck back at Ukraine with 169 Shahed-type drones, decoys and missiles. Ukraine said it shot down 139 drones, while five Iskander ballistic missiles hit four locations. An attack on the port of Odesa killed four people and injured six. Kyiv was hit for the third time in a week.
