Ukraine Says It Struck 105 Russian Shadow Fleet Vessels in 8 Days, 15 Overnight

Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) said they struck 15 vessels belonging to Russia‘s so-called shadow fleet overnight, bringing the total number of ships hit over the past eight days to 105.

The claim was made by USF Commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi in a Telegram post on Monday.

“Fifteen vessels overnight, 105 vessels in eight days were taken out by USF Birds. Operation MoLoChKa [Dairy] will continue until the Russian shadow fleet is listed in the Red Book of the Sea of Azov,” he wrote.

According to Madyar, overnight on Monday, USF drones targeted 15 vessels belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet, including seven tankers, five dry cargo ships, one ferry, and two tugboats.

“In total, 105 vessels were effectively hit between July 6 and July 13. The Crimea peninsula’s transshipment infrastructure is being struck every night, traffic through the Kerch Strait has been halted, and unloading operations have been reduced to a minimum,” he added.

Later, Ukraine’s General Staff also confirmed the destruction of Russian vessels in its daily operational update.

As per the report, the tankers were used to transport Russian oil and petroleum products in circumvention of international sanctions, while the ferry supported military logistics and cargo transportation for the Russian armed forces.

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The dry cargo ships and tugboats were also used to transport military equipment, supplies, and other materiel, helping sustain Russia’s maritime logistics, the military said.

Madyar also reported the results of the so-called “Crimean Switch-Off” operation conducted on from Sunday to Monday.

According to him, Ukrainian forces struck nine power substations of various capacities across occupied Crimea and other occupied territories, as well as the strategic Crimea power transfer station of the Kuban-Crimea energy bridge linking the occupied peninsula with Russia. He said the facility had been hit for the second time in 48 hours.

The commander further claimed that four Russian air defense assets were destroyed.

“An S-400 Triumf launcher, a Tor air defense system, and two radar complexes were destroyed,” Madyar wrote.

The General Staff reported the destruction of a Nebo-U radar system in occupied Crimea and an S-400 air defense missile launcher near Kerch.

Ukraine has defended its strikes on Russia’s shadow fleet, arguing that tankers transporting Russian oil directly finance Moscow’s war effort and can therefore be considered legitimate military targets.

In a letter to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba rejected Russian accusations that Ukraine was carrying out “terrorist” attacks against commercial shipping.

He argued that the shadow fleet plays a critical role in sustaining Russia’s war by generating revenue from oil exports.

Kuleba also accused Russia of attacking 59 merchant vessels since the start of its full-scale invasion, saying Moscow has repeatedly violated international humanitarian law and maritime safety.

His letter comes as European countries intensify efforts to crack down on Russia’s shadow fleet, which is estimated to include more than 1,500 tankers used to circumvent Western sanctions.