Ukraine’s Drone Blitz Sinks 116 Russian Ships in 9 Days, Cripples Crimea Fuel Supply

Ukraine’s Drone Blitz Sinks 116 Russian Ships in 9 Days, Cripples Crimea Fuel Supply

Ukraine has expanded its drone campaign to the Black Sea, striking over 100 Russian vessels in just over a week to cut off fuel supplies to occupied Crimea and cripple Russia’s military logistics.

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Ukraine’s military has dramatically escalated its drone warfare against Russian naval assets and oil infrastructure, hitting 116 ships in nine days under an operation named “MoLoChKa” [196078]. The campaign targets small Russian oil tankers that supply larger export vessels, with each large tanker requiring 12 to 15 small ships to fill it [196078]. In the Azov Sea alone, Ukraine hit 12 more shadow fleet riverine tankers, a cargo ship, and a tug, bringing the total number of vessels targeted to 35 in just four days [192550]. Over 30 tankers have been struck by drones in recent days, according to military experts [192121].

The attacks have reached an unprecedented pace. Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces reported hitting 14 more Russian vessels in the past week, bringing the total tally to 91 ships at an average rate of one ship every 112 minutes [194923]. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says this marks a new phase in isolating the Crimean peninsula, with 48 ships struck in just five days [193958]. The campaign now exceeds the rate of attacks during the Iran-Iraq tanker wars of the 1980s [195823].

Ukraine has also struck Russian naval vessels near Crimea, escalating its campaign to cut off fuel supplies and disrupt routes into and out of the occupied peninsula [192236]. In a single night, drones hit tankers, loading ports, five oil depots, and the power grid on the Crimean peninsula [193967]. Satellite imagery confirmed the destruction of the Russian border patrol ship *Izumrud* while docked, struck by a Sargan-3000 naval drone in retaliation for the ship opening fire on Ukrainian sailors in 2018 [196061].

Russian officials reported shooting down more than 15 drones over Taganrog Bay, where the attack struck four vessels and killed one sailor [193954]. Russia is now running short of gasoline and kerosene as dozens of Ukrainian drone attacks hit oil refineries and ports [193933]. The attacks are turning Russia’s oil infrastructure into a strategic weakness, with each strike damaging processing capacity, disrupting military fuel supplies, and forcing costly repairs [192404].

Sources

Ukraine Expands Drone Attacks to the Black Sea #196927Ukraine sinks 12 more tankers in widening attack on Russia’s Azov Sea fuel route #192550Ukraine Strikes 30 Fuel Tankers in Azov Sea, Crippling Russia's Crimea Supply #192121Ukraine drone blitz hits 48 ships, targets Crimea fuel lifeline #193958Ukraine’s Drone War Hits Russian Oil: 116 Ships in 9 Days #196078Ukraine hits Russian ships near Crimea in fuel supply blockade #192236Ukraine’s Drone Assault on Russian Ships Surpasses 1980s Tanker War Pace #195823Ukraine Strikes Oil Depots and Power Grid in Night of Attacks on Crimea #193967Ukraine Sinks Russian Ship That Fired on Its Sailors in 2018 Using a New Drone #196061Russia’s Fuel Crisis: Ukrainian Drone Strikes Hit Oil Refineries #193933Drone attacks turn Russia’s oil refineries into exploding liabilities #192404Drone attack kills sailor, hits four ships in Russia’s Taganrog Bay #193954Ukraine hits 14 Russian ships in a week, total nears 100 #194923

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