Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces say their drones hit 21 vessels in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait area over 72 hours ending July 8. Commander Robert “Magyar” Brovdi put the tally at 19 oil tankers, one cargo ship and one ferry.
Nine tankers were struck during the night of July 8, Brovdi said, after 10 vessels on July 7 and two on July 6. The 414th Separate Brigade, known as “Magyar’s Birds”, confirmed the figures on X. It named the 413th Separate Regiment “Raid” and the 1st Separate Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces as partners, and said the newly created Deep Strike Center coordinated the operation. Brovdi described the campaign as having reached an “industrial scale.”
Targets and Russian accounts
Kyiv says many of the ships belonged to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet and were hauling fuel to Crimea, the peninsula Moscow seized in 2014. Brovdi named eight of the vessels, among them the tankers Sanar-1, Sanar-17, Teti, Aleksey Savrasov and Penelope. The maritime security firm Ambrey, working from Equasis records, said many are sanctioned by Ukraine, the European Union or the United States. In its view, though, they were picked because they supplied Crimea, not because of sanctions.
Regional officials in Russia described a smaller picture. They said eight of the vessels were at anchor and two were heading for Rostov-on-Don when hit, and that none carried cargo. One crew was evacuated and two people were injured. Russian authorities also said they downed about 70 drones over 11 districts of the Rostov region.
Ukraine’s own footage appeared to show drones striking ships’ bridges and accommodation blocks. Ambrey said that raises the risk to civilian seafarers, since crews are usually housed there.
Fuel pressure on Crimea and Russia
The strikes target a supply route. Since mid-May, Ukrainian drones have been hitting fuel trucks on the overland route from Rostov into Crimea, and tankers crossing the shallow Azov from Taganrog became the workaround. Crimea’s Moscow-installed governor, Sergey Aksyonov, suspended civilian fuel sales entirely by June 22. Ukraine says it also hit six more power substations, bringing the number of power facilities targeted from July 1 to July 8 to 50.
The ship attacks came alongside other overnight strikes. Ukrainian and Russian officials said the Saratov refinery, pipeline facilities, energy sites in Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, and the Borisoglebsk military airfield in the Voronezh region were all targeted. Russian authorities said one person died in Saratov. Earlier in the week Ukraine struck the Omsk refinery in Siberia, about 1,700 miles from Ukrainian-held ground. Omsk processed about 460,000 barrels of crude a day last year, according to Reuters, and two industry sources told the agency it stopped processing oil after the attack.
Parts of Russia now face gasoline and diesel shortages that officials have partly tied to the attacks. Queues have formed at filling stations in several cities and some regions limit purchases. On Wednesday Russia announced a temporary ban on diesel exports through July 31. Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT, told state television: “There is no petrol.” She added, “Yes, it is hard, yes, very hard.”
Retaliation risk
Ambrey called the week “a significant escalation” and said Russia could now target Ukraine-linked commercial shipping. Vessels waiting at Sulina Anchorage, including those bound for Ukrainian Danube and Black Sea ports, could face higher risk. In similar cases, Ambrey said, Russian retaliation has typically come within two to five days.
The strikes coincided with Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with Donald Trump at the NATO summit in Ankara. “Air defense is the priority,” Zelenskyy said. Trump said the United States would let Ukraine build Patriot interceptors. Russia, meanwhile, launched 169 Shahed-type drones, decoys and missiles at Ukraine, and struck the port of Odesa, where four people died.
Sources
- Ukraine Strikes 21 Russian Ships in 72 Hours
- Drone offensive hits Russian oil tankers and refineries at 'industrial scale' as Moscow bans diesel exports
- Video: Ukrainian Drones Strike 21 Russian Ships In Sea Of Azov Over Past 72 Hours
