US EditionUkraine hits Russian shadow fleet tanker in Mediterranean for first time, SBU says
Ukraine's Security Service used drones to critically damage the Oman-flagged tanker Qendil, marking Kyiv's first strike on Russia's shadow fleet in the Mediterranean.
- On Friday, the Security Service of Ukraine said it struck a Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker with aerial drones in neutral Mediterranean Sea waters, calling it a 'new, unprecedented special operation'.
- The SBU said the tanker was used to circumvent Western sanctions and fund Moscow's war chest, while the shadow fleet is estimated to include up to 1,000 ships enabling exports despite curbs.
- The tanker QENDIL had sustained critical damage and cannot be used for its intended purpose, and the Security Service of Ukraine said the cargo ship was empty with no environmental threat.
- The strike could hinder Moscow's crude exports via the shadow fleet, which has bypassed curbs, while Kyiv's first Mediterranean strike raises maritime-security and escalation risks, experts and several European leaders warn.
- Kyiv has previously claimed similar hits on Russia-linked tankers off Turkey's Black Sea coast after two empty oil tankers were hit, while the SBU declined to disclose drone deployment details.
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‘Unprecedented’ Mediterranean Strike: Ukraine Cripples Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker
According to Kyiv Post’s SBU source, the tanker was used by Russia to circumvent sanctions and finance the war against Ukraine, making it “an absolutely legitimate target” under international law.
Ukraine Hits Russian 'Shadow Fleet' Tanker in Mediterranean
Ukraine has used drones to attack a tanker in neutral waters in the Mediterranean Sea, which is believed to be part of the so-called Russian shadow fleet, a source from the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said. This is the first Ukrainian military operation in the Mediterranean, which has been carried out about 2,000 kilometers from its borders. The tanker was empty at the time of the attack.
Ukraine struck for the first time a oil miner of Russia's "the ghost fleet" in the Mediterranean Sea, with air drones, declared a Ukrainian official on Friday, the movement reflecting the increasing intensity of Kiev's attacks on Russian transport...
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