Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has for the first time publicly claimed responsibility for attacks on Russia’s so‑called “shadow fleet” of tankers. The admission appears in the SBU’s report on key special operations in 2025.
The agency used cautious wording: “Long-range strikes on oil refineries deep inside Russia cut oil exports by more than 30% and limited the capabilities of the enemy’s shadow fleet.” It did not specify which attacks it was referring to, which vessels were damaged, or where the incidents took place.
It is the first official acknowledgement by the SBU of its role in operations against the “shadow fleet.” Previously, media cited sources in Ukrainian security and intelligence to report Kyiv’s possible involvement in tanker attacks, but officials avoided direct statements.
In its list of 2025 special operations, the SBU also cites:
- Operation “Pautina,” which it says struck 41 Russian strategic aircraft;
- an underwater drone strike on a Russian submarine in Novorossiysk Bay;
- a third strike on the Crimean Bridge;
- large-scale attacks on oil refineries deep inside Russia;
- the destruction of military equipment “worth billions of dollars.”
Why Ukraine isn’t naming specific vessels
Despite effectively acknowledging strikes on the “shadow fleet,” Kyiv still isn’t publishing detailed statements. Official rhetoric relies on broad formulations about lawful military and logistics targets and says “Russia is facing the consequences of its aggression.”
SBU and military intelligence sources have told Western media that Ukraine sees the “shadow fleet” as a legitimate target because it:
- finances the war against Ukraine;
- is used to circumvent international sanctions;
- is involved in military and para-military logistics.
Directly claiming strikes on ships sailing under third-country flags and outside active combat zones could create serious international legal risks and fuel accusations of widening the conflict.
Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russia’s “shadow fleet” in recent months, with the most intense strikes targeting ships in the Black Sea. As The Insider reported, tankers have begun altering routes amid the attacks, sailing more often along Turkey’s coast and trying to stay closer to neutral waters.
On November 28, the tankers Kairos (IMO: 9236004) and Virat (IMO: 9832559), both sailing under a fake Gambian flag, were attacked almost simultaneously. The maritime drones struck several dozen nautical miles off Turkey’s coast. Ukrainian media, citing SBU sources, said the attacks were part of an SBU operation using upgraded sea drones. The next day, November 29, Virat was hit again, then switched to the Russian flag and entered the port of Istanbul. Attempts to tow Kairos toward Bulgaria ended with the ship running aground.
On December 2, about 80 nautical miles off Turkey’s coast, the vessel Midvolga 2 (IMO: 9735139) was attacked while sailing from Russia to Georgia with a cargo of sunflower oil. The tanker flies the Russian flag and belongs to the Moscow-based Middle Volga Shipping Company, which is under Ukrainian sanctions.
On December 10 in the Black Sea south of Feodosia, Sea Baby maritime drones used by the SBU struck the tanker Dashan, which was sailing under the Comoros flag. The ship was moving with its transponder off at maximum speed through Ukraine’s exclusive economic zone toward Novorossiysk. The SBU said the operation was conducted jointly with the 13th Main Directorate of military counterintelligence and the Ukrainian Navy.
