On July 8, in the Black Sea, an SBU Sea Baby naval drone hit the Blue tanker, which is part of the shadow fleet of the Russian Federation. The vessel, which was near temporarily occupied Yalta, sustained significant damage.
This was reported by the SBU.
“At the time of the strike, the vessel was near temporarily occupied Yalta, in Ukraine’s exclusive economic zone. Sea Baby struck the stern of the tanker, as a result of which it sustained significant damage. Enemy aviation tried to operate against the SBU naval drone, but without success”, the SBU said.
The Blue tanker is under sanctions by the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Ukraine for participating in the transportation of Russian oil in circumvention of international sanctions. It belongs to the Suezmax class — large sea tankers used to transport significant volumes of oil and petroleum products.
As noted by the SBU, with the help of such tankers, Russia circumvents international sanctions and receives billions in profits from oil exports, which it uses to finance the war against Ukraine. Striking vessels of the shadow fleet is part of the SBU’s systematic work to reduce Russia’s economic potential.
“From the point of view of international law, as well as the laws and customs of war, such vessels are absolutely legitimate military targets”, the Security Service added.
