Ukraine Targets 11 More Russian Vessels, Brings Nine-Day Total to 116

Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) said they struck 11 more Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov overnight, bringing the total number of ships reportedly hit to 116 in just nine days.

“+11 overnight on July 14. A total of 116 vessels have been hit by USF Birds in the Sea of Azov over nine days as part of Operation MoLoChKa [Dairy]: five tankers, five dry cargo ships, and one tugboat,” USF Commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi wrote on Telegram.

He also published footage purporting to show Ukrainian drones attacking Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov. Kyiv Post could not independently verify the times or locations in the video.

According to Brovdi, the operation is aimed at crippling Russia‘s feeder fleet – small and medium-sized flat-bottomed tankers about 140 meters (460 feet) long with a deadweight of roughly 7,000 tons.

He said these vessels form a key part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, transporting oil through the Volga-Don Canal and the Sea of Azov from Russian ports and oil terminals to larger tankers waiting in the Black Sea.

Because deep-draft tankers cannot enter the shallow ports, they are loaded offshore by feeder vessels. According to Brovdy, a single large tanker typically receives oil delivered by 12 to 15 feeder tankers.

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The Salavat complex was the last major gasoline producer in Russia that had not been struck by Ukrainian forces in 2026.

“The burning of these wormy (Russian) camel tankers – and the tugboats that stubbornly tow them after they are damaged – also limits deliveries of scarce gasoline to Crimea through the narrow, shallow waters of the Sea of Azov,” Brovdi wrote.

He added that Russia’s alternative supply routes by road and rail are also under constant Ukrainian fire control.

On Monday, Brovdi said USF units had struck 15 vessels overnight on July 13, bringing the total at the time to 105 ships in eight days.

Kyiv defended its attacks on Russia’s shadow fleet, saying the oil tankers bankroll the Kremlin’s war machine and therefore constitute lawful military targets.

In a letter to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba rejected Russian claims that Kyiv was carrying out “terrorist” attacks on commercial shipping. He argued that the shadow fleet is essential to sustaining Russia’s war by generating oil export revenues.

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 regulations.

The letter comes as European countries step up efforts to crack down on Russia’s shadow fleet, an estimated 1,500 tankers used to evade Western sanctions.