Ukraine strikes Russian tankers near Crimea, escalating attacks on fuel supplies

Ukraine's general staff on Wednesday released footage of a naval drone attack on the sanctioned tanker Blue. The video shows the unmanned vessel evading fire as it approaches the tanker, before cutting out as it nears the hull. Ukraine said the incident occurred near Yalta, a Black Sea resort city in occupied Crimea, though the location cannot be confirmed.

The attacks come amid continued strikes on Russian oil refineries, which have caused widespread fuel shortages across the country, including in Moscow and St Petersburg. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky argued that targeting refineries is a rightful response to Russian strikes, saying Russians must "feel that it is their state that is waging war." He highlighted two further attacks on oil depots in the Tver and Stavropol regions, as well as an unnamed oil terminal in Rostov region.

US President Donald Trump described the drone strategy as an escalation when he met Zelensky at the NATO summit in Ankara on Tuesday, "but it's also an escalation that can help lead to an end."

The scale of drone attacks on Russian maritime logistics has intensified in recent days. Brovdi claimed attacks on 12 tankers in just one night from Wednesday into Thursday. Russian pro-war sources have not questioned either the details or the authenticity of the footage. The "Military Informant" Telegram channel complained that tankers had become a "shooting gallery" for Ukrainian drone operators, with the Black Sea Fleet barely able to defend itself.

Mikhail Zvinchuk, author of the Telegram channel "Rybar," noted that the Black Sea Fleet had "now shut itself in at Novorossiysk." These strikes are a painful blow given declining oil refining capacity and fuel shortages, especially in Crimea. In late June, Vladimir Putin estimated Crimea's monthly fuel needs at 70,000 tons and promised to secure supplies by increasing deliveries by both land and sea. The tankers attacked in the Sea of Azov may well have been carrying considerably more.

Now, fuel rationing or shortages exist in more than 90% of Russian regions, and Russia has banned diesel exports. Queues are reported at filling stations in major cities. In Crimea, Russian-appointed authorities are struggling with power and transport disruptions. Ukraine's military has already jeopardised Russia's land supply routes to the peninsula, and they are now targeting its sea routes as well.