Ukraine Drones Strike 2 Black Sea Oil Tankers as Louise 1 Moved More Than 1 Million Barrels
Updated
Updated · theins.press · Jul 16
Ukraine Drones Strike 2 Black Sea Oil Tankers as Louise 1 Moved More Than 1 Million Barrels
3 articles · Updated · theins.press · Jul 16
Summary
Ukrainian security and naval forces said Mamai sea drones hit two tankers in the Black Sea — Louise 1 and Banda — in a joint strike on vessels Kyiv links to Russia’s shadow oil trade.
The SBU said Russian aircraft tried to stop the attack with machine-gun fire and aerial bombs but failed, while both ships’ exact positions were obscured by AIS shutdowns and spoofed location data.
Louise 1 was singled out by Ukrainian intelligence as a sanctions-busting carrier: it hauled nearly 735,000 barrels of Urals to Turkey in February and more than 1 million barrels to India in March.
Ukraine says the tanker later moved another 1 million-plus barrels from Novorossiysk in May, partly for sanctioned producer Lukoil; the seller in an earlier voyage was UAE-registered Redwood Global Supply, which Britain sanctioned in 2025.
The strike follows a Sea Baby drone attack a week earlier on the sanctioned tanker Blue, signaling a widening Ukrainian campaign against Russian oil shipments in the Black Sea.
As Western sanctions falter, can Ukraine's sea drones single-handedly cripple Russia's massive shadow oil fleet?
With aging 'ghost' tankers now escorted by warships, is a catastrophic oil spill becoming an unavoidable global crisis?
Disrupting Russia’s War Machine: Ukraine’s July 2026 Drone Attacks on 18 Black Sea Vessels and the Shadow Fleet
Overview
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) considers Russian 'shadow fleet' oil tankers as legitimate targets because they are seen as a key part of Russia’s war machine. By using innovative naval drones, Ukraine has successfully attacked these tankers, directly reducing the oil revenue that funds Russia’s invasion. This strategy is part of a broader maritime campaign aimed at disrupting Russia’s economic lifelines in the Black Sea. As a result, Moscow faces growing financial pressure and operational risks, while Ukraine demonstrates its ability to weaken Russia’s war efforts through targeted, cost-effective strikes at sea.