Ukraine says sea drones struck Russian "shadow fleet" oil tankers in Black Sea VIDEO

On July 15, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said that its naval drones had struck two Russian "shadow fleet" oil tankers in the Black Sea, in what it described as another operation targeting vessels involved in transporting Russian crude.

In a statement, the SBU said the tankers Louise 1 and Banda were hit during an operation carried out jointly with the Ukrainian Navy.

According to the agency, Louise 1 had been used to transport Russian Urals crude during the G7 and EU oil embargo, carrying nearly three million tonnes of oil in 2026, while at times operating with its Automatic Identification System (AIS) switched off. It said Banda had also transported Russian crude from the ports of Ust-Luga, Kerch, Novorossiysk and Nakhodka.

The SBU said the vessels were under Ukrainian sanctions and were part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" – a network of ageing tankers widely alleged by Western governments to help Moscow export oil despite sanctions.

It added that Russian aircraft attempted to stop the attack by firing machine guns and dropping bombs on the sea drones, but failed to prevent the strike.

The statement did not specify the extent of any damage to the vessels, and there was no immediate comment from Russia. 

The announcement comes a week after the SBU said one of its Sea Baby naval drones had struck another sanctioned tanker, Blue, in Ukraine's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea.

By Aghakazim Guliyev