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.
128 Articles
128 Articles
A tanker under international sanctions was hit on the night of 18-19 December on the high seas by Ukrainian bomber drones, confirming the rise of Ukrainian services in the marine environment.
Putin Claims Ukraine Unready for Peace as Kiev Strikes Tanker in Mediterranean.
PULSE POINTSWHAT HAPPENED: Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Ukraine seems unwilling to negotiate peace, while Kiev claimed a significant strike on an alleged Russian “shadow fleet” tanker in the Mediterranean.WHO WAS INVOLVED: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the European Union (EU), and the U.S. government.WHEN & WHERE: December 2025, during Putin’s annual news conference in Moscow, with sepa…
Otago Daily Times
Ukraine hits Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker in Mediterranean
The targeted oil tanker was identified as the Qendil, seen here passing through the Bosphorus in late October towards the Mediterranean. Photo: Reuters Ukraine has struck a Russian "shadow fleet" oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea with aerial drones for the first time, an official said on Friday, reflecting the growing intensity of Kyiv's attacks on Russian oil shipping.
Kiev had hit the tanker in neutral Mediterranean waters, between Crete and Libya - Putin had warned that Moscow would respond
Ukrainian drones have attacked a Russian tanker in the southern Mediterranean, off the coast of Libya, at an unprecedented distance. The tanker, part of Russia's shadow fleet, was "critically damaged and unserviceable," Ukrainian sources say, the Guardian reports. The Ukrainians are believed to have fired on the tanker, the Quendil, which was sailing empty from Suez to Libya. Some reports claimed that senior members of Russia's military intellig…
'Failed asset theft'. A Russian oil tanker hit the Mediterranean (ANSA)
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