SBU Sea Drones Hit 2 Shadow Fleet Tankers in Black Sea
Footage shared by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) appeared to place the attacks off Russia’s Black Sea coast near Novorossiysk and Sochi in the daytime. Multiple drones were seen ramming the vessels’ hulls, while onboard drone footage captured the impacts, alongside more distant footage of the blasts.
The SBU said it struck two Russian oil tankers, Louise 1 and Banda, in a joint operation with the Ukrainian Navy on an unspecified date. Both tankers are under Ukrainian sanctions, with Louise 1 also being under Western sanctions. The vessel ferried “almost 3 million tons of Russian Urals oil” in 2026 alone.
Sanctions and Oil Embargo
The SBU wrote that Louise 1 is involved in the transportation of Russian crude oil during the oil embargo of the G7 and EU countries. The vessel exported products from Russian ports of the Baltic and Black Seas, turning off the automatic identification system. Open Sanctions said the vessel is Panama-flagged and previously sailed under the flags of Greece and Liberia.
Banda has transported “Russian crude oil from the ports of Ust-Luga, Kerch, Novorossiysk, and Nakhodka,” while naval tracking platform MarineTraffic shows the vessel as Liberia-flagged. Kyiv Post was unable to locate relevant sanction queries on the vessel.
Drone Strikes and Russian Response
The SBU said that hitting Russian tankers is aimed at starving Moscow of its oil revenue for its war efforts in Ukraine. The drone used in the attack, the Mamai, was initially unveiled in December 2023. The drone was also the same model found off the Greek island of Lefkada in May.
While there had been isolated attacks targeting sanctioned Russian vessels since late 2025, the campaign began in earnest two weeks ago. On Monday, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) – the military tasked with the majority of the drone strikes – said it struck 116 Russian vessels within 9 days.
Russia’s foreign minister has likened the attack to piracy, but the USF’s commander rebuffed the claim on Wednesday.
Original Article: SBU Sea Drones Hit 2 Shadow Fleet Tankers in Black Sea — Kyivpost