‘No more’: Ukraine hits two Shadow Fleet tankers carrying oil near Russia, launches more than 300 drones

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that troops had attacked two “Shadow Fleet” oil tankers near the entrance to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, underscoring Kiev’s continued efforts to disrupt Moscow’s energy grid.“Our fighters continue to enforce sanctions against Russia’s shadow oil fleet and they hit two such vessels in the waters at the entrance to the port of Novorossiysk. These tankers were once actively used to transport oil, but no longer,” Zelensky said on the Telegram messaging app.“Ukraine will continue to comprehensively develop long-range capabilities at sea, in the air and on land,” he added.Previously, the Russian Defense Ministry said that its air defense systems intercepted 334 Ukrainian drones in about 15 areas at night, including areas near Moscow and the Leningrad region where St. Petersburg is located. No injuries were reported.The attacks are part of a broader escalation in drone warfare, with Ukraine increasingly pushing deeper into Russian territory.

Oil infrastructure has been repeatedly targeted

Ukrainian drones have repeatedly targeted key Russian energy sites in recent weeks. Refineries and export terminals in the Black Sea town of Tuapse, about 450 kilometers from the front line, were hit four times in just over two weeks, triggering fires, evacuations and plumes of smoke.In a video released after the third attack on April 18, local governor Veniamin Kondratyev told an emergency official that boiling petroleum products spilled onto the street and damaged vehicles.Ukraine also said it had attacked an oil pumping station more than 1,500 kilometers from Russia’s Perm region on two consecutive days. Russian media reported the incident, but regional governor Dmitry Mahonin only confirmed that a drone struck an industrial facility.Further north, Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea, one of Russia’s largest oil and gas export terminals, was hit three times in one week in late March. The location is more than 800 kilometers away from Ukraine. Weeks later, regional governor Alexander Drozdenko described the area around St. Petersburg as a “frontline area” for air threats.Ukraine said the attacks caused severe economic damage. Russia has lost at least $7 billion since the start of the year due to attacks on its oil industry, Zelensky said on Friday, adding that exports from major ports such as Ust-Luga and Primorsk had fallen.Drone strikes have also disrupted refining capacity, while sanctions have complicated efforts to replace damaged equipment, experts said. However, the overall impact remains uncertain as Russia continues to benefit from rising global oil prices.According to the International Energy Agency, Russian crude oil and petroleum product exports increased by 320,000 barrels per day in March to 7.1 million barrels, and revenue almost doubled from $9.7 billion to $19 billion.

Ukraine reports casualties

Meanwhile, Russian air strikes in southern Ukraine have killed one person and injured four others, officials said on Sunday. A Russian drone hit a private company vehicle in Kherson, killing one man and injuring four others, including a 63-year-old woman.A day earlier, a Russian drone crashed into a minibus in the same city, killing two people, according to local officials.Both sides have significantly stepped up drone warfare in recent months. Since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has launched large-scale drone attacks on Ukraine almost every night, and Kiev has also stepped up retaliatory strikes.Data analyzed by AFP showed that Russia deployed a record 6,583 long-range drones in April, exceeding the all-time high in March. In late March alone, Russia said it destroyed 389 Ukrainian drones in one day.Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts, little progress has been made toward ending the conflict. Russia proposed a ceasefire on May 9 to celebrate its World War II victory, while Ukraine said it was still reviewing the proposal.