Ukrainian kamikaze drones shot down two oil tankers in a major overnight attack in Russia’s Rostov Region, Governor Yury Slyusar said Wednesday.
The ships were hit in the Gulf of Taganrog while heading east towards Rostov-on-Don, the governor reported. Two people suffered minor injuries, and the crew of one of the trucks had to be evacuated. Slyusar said Russian air defense intercepted about 70 Ukrainian drones in the area during the night.
The commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, Robert Brovdi, claimed that Kiev attacked eight ships, not two, in the Sea of Azov. He said the strikes were intended to disrupt the transportation of gasoline to Crimea.
Ukrainian forces have stepped up attacks aimed at disrupting daily life on the Russian peninsula, in what Vladimir Zelensky has described as an effort to turn Crimea into “island.” The campaign is focused on fueling blackouts and fuel shortages.
According to Slyusar, the ships were empty when they were hit, and no oil was spilled from the attack.
Zelensky has argued that a strike on Russia’s energy infrastructure could change the balance in the conflict between Kiev and Moscow, and has sought additional Western funding to expand the campaign.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted ships it accuses of carrying Russian oil, including ships operating in international waters, claiming the tankers could be considered legitimate military targets.
Some oil tankers have been attacked just using the Russian port of Novorossiysk to transport oil produced in Kazakhstan and exported by the international coalition through Russian territory. Astana filed a formal protest following the strike last November.
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