Ukraine strikes second Russian ship in single day

 Ukrainian drones delivered strikes on two vessels linked to Russia on the same day, according to Kyiv. 

Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) said its drones hit a Russian patrol ship and an oil platform in the Caspian Sea on Friday on the same day.

Kyiv also claimed success with strikes on what it said was a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the Mediterranean Sea. Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment. 

Why It Matters 

The strikes in different bodies of water on the same day show Ukraine’s ability and scope to use drone capabilities to target Russia’s oil industry which funds Moscow’s war machine. The reported strike against an oil tanker is also the first time that Kyiv has targeted a sanctions-busting shadow fleet vessel, which could signal more direct action against Moscow’s key export.

What To Know 

Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) said on Saturday that it had launched kamikaze drone strikes on Russian targets in the Caspian Sea the previous day.

One attack targeted an oil platform and the other, a Russian patrol ship, Project 22460 Hunter, which is part of the Rubin class of Russian Coast Guard vessels. 

The SSO said on Facebook that the ship was equipped with weapons and systems to perform a wide range of missions in coastal waters, and that several of its drones “successfully hit the target.”

In the same operation, Ukrainian drones also hit the oil platform at the Filanovsky oil and gas field which is owned by Russian oil company Lukoil. The initial reserves of the field are estimated at approximately 129 million tons of oil and 30 billion cubic meters of gas, which funds Russia’s war, the SSO said.

Also on Friday, Ukraine said it struck a Russian “shadow fleet” oil tanker Qendil in neutral waters in the Mediterranean Sea—the first such attack of its kind. The Oman-flagged tanker Qendil is in the eastern Mediterranean near Crete, en route to the Russian port of Ust-Luga, according to the Marine Traffic website.

The vessel was empty at the time of the strike and did not pose any threat to the environment, a Ukrainian official told Politico. Russia has turned to a shadow fleet of ships whose ties to Moscow are hidden (or very hard to detect) to evade sanctions on its oil exports. 

What People Are Saying 

Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces said on Facebook its drones “struck the oil platform and the ship of Russia who was patrolling nearby in the Caspian Sea!”, adding that “also drones of the Special Operations Forces hit and the drilling platform at the Filanovsky oil and gas farm in the Caspian Sea.”

It added: “Special operations forces continue to use asymmetrical actions in order to stop Russia’s military aggression.”

What Happens Next 

Ukraine has already destroyed or disabled one-third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet with drones and its latest strikes suggest further such attacks are planned on Moscow’s ships either directly or indirectly linked to the war.