Russian Maritime Route to Crimea Closing Amid Drone Strikes
Russia is losing another sea, its maritime route to Crimea is closing. A literal hunt for Russian tankers has begun in the Sea of Azov. The commander of drone forces, Robert Brovdi, better known under the nickname Magyar, wrote about the destruction of enemy ships on an industrial scale, and it is hard to accuse him of exaggeration.
The operation began in the night from Monday to Tuesday and continued into last night. On Wednesday before noon, Brovdi announced that they had managed to hit as many as 21 ships. Reportedly, 19 of them were tankers of the so-called shadow fleet, one was a cargo ship, and a ferry in Kerch was also hit.
Drone Strikes Disrupt Russian Logistics
Such massive attacks in the Sea of Azov are a novelty. They are undoubtedly part of an effort to disrupt Russian logistics, including in Crimea. In Russia, people have already become used to the fact that their fleet in the area is powerless, but videos showing Ukrainian drones setting one ship after another on fire without resistance have triggered a new wave of criticism of the navy.
“If this goes on, we will have our own little Strait of Hormuz, with Ukraine in the role of Iran and us in the role of the United States – ships will simply not be able to reach Crimea and sail back without being hit by drones,” the Russian Telegram channel Military Correspondent with 600,000 followers wrote on Wednesday.
Ukrainian Drone Forces Claim Responsibility
The strong words were explained by two compilations. The first was published by Magyar’s Birds on Tuesday morning:
USF Birds played Battleship with the shadow fleet tankers today:
The shadow fleet is leaving the chat.
The battle for fuel supplies to Crimea in the Sea of Azov: 8 shadow-fleet tankers of the rf were hunted down and lit up by pilots of “Kairos” from the 414th Brigade “Magyar’s… pic.twitter.com/QLFHDsuVlW — 414 Magyar’s Birds (@414magyarbirds) July 7, 2026
On Wednesday before noon, another followed:
Magyar’s update: the tanker hunt continues.
🔥 The USF Birds struck 9 more russian shadow fleet tankers during the night of July 8 in the Sea of Azov.
🌶️ 21 vessels were hit over the past 72 hours: 19 shadow fleet tankers, 1 cargo ship, and 1 ferry in Kerch.
The operation was… pic.twitter.com/nWhJTU8vtQ — 414 Magyar’s Birds (@414magyarbirds) July 8, 2026
Original Article: Ukrainian drones are wiping out Russian tankers in the Sea of Azov (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,595) — Euobserver