Ukrainian commander says flying drones have disabled 300 tankers in Russia's shadow fleet

A top Ukrainian drone commander said on Tuesday that his forces have used uncrewed aerial vehicles to knock out 300 ships in Russia’s “shadow fleet” over 11 weeks.

Maj. Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, said as drone crews reached this tally after they attacked and “burned” 21 tankers over the last three days.

The strikes have been part of a Ukrainian campaign from early July targeting the hundreds-strong fleet of merchant tankers assessed to be carrying sanctioned Russian gas and oil.

While many of these vessels access Russia from the Baltic, the Ukrainian effort has focused on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The campaign has been dubbed Operation MoLoChKa, or an acronym that translates into “Moscow will fall through Crimea.”

Brovdi said on his Telegram channel that the uncrewed Systems Forces had disabled 166 ships in the Black Sea and another 134 in the Sea of Azov.

“The Sea of Azov, along with the Kerch Strait, is closed and will remain so. In the northern and northeastern Black Sea, it is ‘maybe we’ll slip through’ mode,” his statement said.

He’s been one of the top commanders to champion a strategy of using mid- and long-range drones to enact a siege of sorts on Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

The region is a key logistical hub for Russia’s forces on the southern front, and Ukrainian commanders like Brovdi have likened it to a lynchpin of the war as a whole. The past few months have seen them hammering roads, bridges, energy facilities, and transport vessels in a bid to choke the peninsula with resource shortages.

Notably, Operation MoLoChKa has relied on aerial drones, as counter-jamming, artificial intelligence, and flight technology have progressed to the point where Ukraine can use them to more consistently hit Russia’s rear.

Previously, Kyiv had relied on surface and underwater drones to battle Russia’s navy, driving back its Black Sea Fleet from Ukraine’s coast.

Brovdi’s statement on Telegram included over two dozen clips that appear to have been shot from drones speeding overhead toward large vessels on open water.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has embarked on a broader, long-range drone attack campaign aimed at Russia’s oil and gas industries, hoping to sap the Kremlin’s ability to pay for and supply its war effort.

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s armed forces said they had knocked out 45% of Russia’s oil refining capacity.