Russian “shadow fleet” tankers transiting the Black Sea have begun hugging Turkey’s coastline to avoid attacks by Ukrainian unmanned surface vessels, according to Militarnyi, which cites maritime traffic analysts and OSINT projects.
Militarnyi reports that the Russian-flagged tanker STRATEG - sanctioned by the United States, European Union, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and several other countries - traveled as close as possible to Turkey’s shores while in the Black Sea. Turkey is a NATO member.
Tracking data shows the STRATEG departed Novorossiysk, then moved along the coast near Sochi, off Georgia, and along Turkey’s shoreline before passing through the Bosphorus, the strait between Europe and Asia Minor.
The movements suggest Russia’s “shadow fleet” has shifted tactics in the Black Sea after a series of Ukrainian drone strikes, steering closer to Turkey’s coast in hopes of avoiding attacks at sea.
In December 2025, Kyiv publicly acknowledged for the first time that it targets Russian “shadow fleet” tankers, saying they evade sanctions and finance Russia’s war against Ukraine. In November–December 2025, Ukrainian drones struck four oil tankers linked to the fleet - three hit by sea drones in the Black Sea and one by an aerial drone in the Mediterranean.
According to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), all targeted tankers were headed to Russian ports to load oil. Ukraine’s armed forces say such operations aim to curtail the Kremlin’s ability to fund the war.
Earlier, some European countries began restricting access to the Baltic Sea for Russia’s “shadow fleet” tankers.
The European Union is also preparing a new action against Putin’s “shadow fleet.”
