Ukraine Strikes Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker in Mediterranean Sea
Ukraine says it has targeted an oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea, claiming it belonged to the Russian shadow fleet. The vessel, the Qendil, was empty when it was struck on Friday with aerial drones for the first time, according to an official at the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The unnamed Ukrainian official did not specify exactly where the tanker was at the time of the attack or when it occurred. However, marine tracking websites showed that the oil tanker was located 2,000 km from Ukraine off the coast of Libya when it was attacked.
US Weighs Sanctions on Russia’s ‘Shadow Tanker Fleet’
The US is weighing sanctions on what it calls a “shadow fleet” of Russian oil tankers that it says have been helping Moscow bypass Washington’s economic bans. The move comes as tensions between the two nations continue to escalate over issues such as Ukraine and energy policy.
Alexander Stepanov, a senior researcher at the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Russian media that the plan is to target the interests of both Russia and China, the main global rival of the United States, as well as other Russian allies. “This will be related not only to the interests of the Russian Federation, it basically fits into the general pattern of the trade war targeting China and our allies,” Stepanov said.
NATO’s Plan to Target Maritime Logistics
According to Stepanov, NATO will make efforts to specifically create a negative media image of the Russian “shadow fleet,” creating imaginary environmental problems and conducting hidden sabotage with the aim of a focal spill of petroleum products. The goal is to paralyze maritime logistics and target the interests of countries that are not part of the Western coalition.
In particular, Stepanov said, “the maritime logistics of Venezuela and Iran, which buttress the petroleum trade, are under attack. This method of paralyzing maritime logistics will be projected to all countries that are not part of the Western coalition.”
Original Article: Ukraine says strikes Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker in Mediterranean Sea — Presstv