Ukraine said on Wednesday it had disabled a Russian-linked oil tanker in the Black Sea using Sea Baby maritime drones, the latest strike on what it describes as Moscow’s covert “shadow fleet” that helps move sanctioned oil and support its war economy.
The attack, conducted jointly by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the navy, is the third such operation in two weeks.
Video released by Ukrainian authorities shows a drone closing in on the tanker’s stern before explosions trigger smoke across the vessel. Officials identified the ship as the Dashan, sailing under the flag of the Comoro Islands, and said it had its transponder turned off and was travelling at high speed when it was hit. A Ukrainian security official said the tanker suffered “critical damage” and was effectively “disabled”. Russia has not commented publicly.
Ukrainian authorities said the Dashan had been heading toward Novorossiysk, one of Russia’s key oil export hubs. It remains unclear what cargo it was carrying or whether any spill resulted from the strike.
The SBU said the mission formed part of broader efforts to degrade Russia’s wartime revenue streams. “The SBU continues to take active measures to reduce oil dollar revenues to the Russian budget,” an official familiar with the operation said.
The attack follows similar strikes in late November on two other Russian-linked tankers that Western analysts say belong to Russia’s “shadow fleet” — hundreds of vessels operating under opaque ownership structures and mixed flags, often with transponders disabled. Industry reports had previously flagged the Dashan for irregular movements and links to sanctioned Russian entities.
The strike comes amid renewed political debate over the trajectory of the war. On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said Russia holds “the upper hand” and that Ukraine is “losing”, comments that drew pushback from Ukrainian and European officials.
While acknowledging battlefield difficulties, Western officials said there is no recent intelligence pointing to a decisive advantage for Moscow. Reports indicate that U.S.-led discussions over a potential peace framework have made little headway, with consultations continuing this week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that U.S. and Ukrainian delegations held virtual talks on post-war reconstruction featuring Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Jared Kushner and BlackRock chief executive Larry Fink. He said Kyiv shared updates on its input to a confidential 20-point framework for ending the war and thanked U.S. partners for what he called “substantive work and support”.
European leaders are expected to continue discussions with Washington this week as disagreements persist over the shape of any settlement and future security guarantees for Ukraine. For Kyiv, the strike on the Dashan underscores its intent to hit Russia’s revenue channels even as diplomatic manoeuvring intensifies, with winter approaching, limited progress on the frontline and uncertainty over international funding next year.
