(Dec 19): Ukraine hit an oil tanker from Russia’s shadow fleet in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time, a fresh escalation in its drone strikes on ships helping carry barrels for Moscow.
The 250-metre (820-foot) long Qendil was hit in an unprecedented attack more than 2,000km (1,250 miles) from Ukraine’s borders and was empty, not posing an environmental threat, a person familiar with the matter said, asking not to be named discussing sensitive information.
Ukraine has been steadily targeting ships that it says are part of Russia’s shadow fleet in recent weeks, claiming a series of blasts in the Black Sea, in a bid to reduce oil revenue that helps finance the Kremlin’s war. Some vessels have been hugging Turkey’s coastline when leaving ports in the waterway, a possible sign of trying to avoid attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Ukrainian drone strikes on tankers that carry Russia’s barrels won’t affect the nation’s export flows.
The Qendil was sailing empty to the Baltic port of Ust-Luga, but appeared to turn around in the early hours of Friday morning, according to vessel tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.
The tanker was sailing under the flag of Oman, according to the Equasis maritime database. The ship’s manager didn’t immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
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