Ukraine struck a Russian-linked oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, marking the first time it has targeted vessels from Russia’s shadow fleet outside the Black Sea, according to an official from Ukraine’s security service, the SBU.
The Oman-flagged tanker Qendil was hit by aerial drones more than 2,000 kilometres from Ukraine in what the SBU described as an unprecedented operation, leaving the vessel critically damaged and unusable. The strike occurred in international waters in the eastern Mediterranean, with ship tracking data placing the tanker off the coast of Crete, sailing parallel to Libya.
The vessel was empty at the time and posed no environmental threat, the SBU said, while video footage showed multiple explosions on its deck. Tracking data indicated the Qendil had departed from Sikka in India and was bound for Russia’s Baltic port of Ust-Luga before making a U-turn overnight.
Although not on the US Treasury’s sanctions list, maritime intelligence firms have identified the tanker as carrying a high sanctions risk and being used to circumvent restrictions on Russian oil exports. The attack reflects a significant expansion of Ukraine’s campaign against Russian energy infrastructure, following earlier strikes on shadow fleet tankers in the Black Sea and oil platforms in the Caspian Sea.
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the attack, saying it would not disrupt oil supplies and warning that Russia would respond.
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