Ukraine strikes 13 Russian shadow fleet vessels in 48 hours, escalating 'kinetic sanctions'

Neptune Anti-Ship Missile. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Ukraine has escalated its campaign against Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" of sanctioned vessels, striking 13 ships in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea over a 48-hour period, according to Ukrainian military officials.

Recent Strikes and Warnings

The Kyiv Independent reported that Ukraine's drones "hit another 13 Russian shadow fleet vessels in the Azov Sea and the Black Sea over the last two days." The report cited Commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces Robert Brovdi, known as "Madyar," who posted a video of the explosions on Telegram.

"(Russia's) shadow fleet vessels were warned by fire over a 48-hour period on July 21–22 that it was inadvisable to navigate the waters of the Azov and Black Seas in the interests of the aggressor country," Brovdi said, as translated by the Kyiv Independent.

The publication added that Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, which operates the country's drone corps, has struck "126 vessels in the Azov Sea and 70 in the Black Sea as of July 22."

EU Intercepts Shadow Fleet Tanker

Separately, The New Voice of Ukraine reported that European Union forces "intercepted" a Russian shadow fleet tanker on July 20.

"Every illicit voyage helps sustain Russia's war machine. We are matching our sanctions with action at sea," said Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in a social media post.

What Is the "Shadow Fleet"?

According to a Brookings Institution analysis published in early 2025, Russia has built a fleet of tankers primarily aimed at evading Western sanctions, including price caps. Most of these vessels were sold to Russia by Western companies.

Kirov-Class Battlecruiser Russian Navy. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The shadow fleet was largely created in response to the G7 and Australia imposing a price cap on Russian oil in late 2022, several months after Russia invaded Ukraine.

How Russia Operates the Shadow Fleet

"A focal point of the shadow fleet strategy is to obscure the ownership of the fleets' tankers and to mask the origin of the Russian oil those ships carry," the Brookings authors wrote. "To do this, Russia employs a host of deceptive maneuvers, such as repeated ship-to-ship transfers of liquid cargo, blending oil from multiple countries, spoofing ships' location data, and automatic identification system blackouts."

"Russia has also devoted unprecedented resources to purchasing aging ships from Western companies, obscuring the Russian ownership of those vessels through complex schemes involving shell companies and frequent reflagging of ships, among other measures."

The Kyiv School of Economics estimated that Russia spent approximately $10 billion acquiring tankers between 2022 and 2024.

'Kinetic Sanctions'

Ukraine has described its long-range drone strikes as "kinetic sanctions" or, in some cases, "long-range sanctions."

Edward Wrong, writing for RUSI earlier this year, detailed the early successes of the anti-shadow fleet campaign.

"Since late November, at least seven tankers that regularly transport Russian crude and are considered part of its shadow fleet have incurred critical damage after being attacked by drones or suffering unspecified 'external explosions,'" Wrong wrote in early January.

"Ukrainian intelligence services have claimed responsibility for four of these attacks while being conspicuously non-committal on the others; and in subsequent media comments they have made clear that their intent is to substantially damage Russian seaborne crude oil export revenues."

According to the RUSI analysis, the attacks have also succeeded in driving up insurance rates dramatically in a short period.

"These strikes likely signify a new expanded phase of Kyiv's justified campaign to degrade Russia's energy production and export infrastructure – and thereby deprive it of funding for its war against Ukraine," Wrong wrote.

"If so, ship owners, insurers, ports and financial institutions that engage in Russian oil trade in violation of the newly lowered price cap, even unwittingly, may be significantly underestimating the enhanced risk now that the shadow fleet is a direct target in the conflict. Ukraine is at the forefront of drone technology, does not feel bound by geographic restraints, and is likely unafraid of facing any legal consequences in national or international courts."

Wrong described 2025 as a "banner year" for "attacks on tankers linked to Russian shadow fleet activity." Based on recent developments, 2026 appears to be a similarly productive year in that regard.

About the Author: Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic.