Ukrainian drone forces strike 11 Russian shadow fleet ships overnight

He notes that, as part of Operation Molochka, 147 Russian vessels were struck between July 6 and 16, including:

• 117 vessels in the waters of the Sea of Azov
• 30 vessels in the waters of the Black Sea.

Among today’s targets:

• 5 oil tankers in the Black and Azov Seas were attacked by operators from the 9th Kairos Battalion of the 414th Magyar’s Birds Separate Brigade, the 1st Separate Center, and the 20th Separate Brigade K-2
• 1 gas tanker in the Black Sea was attacked by operators from the 1st Separate Center
• 3 dry cargo ships in the Black Sea were struck by operators from the 9th Kairos Battalion of the 414th Magyar's Birds Separate Brigade
• Operators from the 1st Separate Center struck 2 Russian tugboats in the Black Sea.

Unmanned Systems Forces operators struck 11 more vessels from russia’s shadow fleet

On July 16, USF units continued Operation “MoLoChKa.” In total, 147 vessels belonging to russia’s shadow fleet were struck between July 6 and July 16.

Of these:
• 117 vessels in the Sea of… pic.twitter.com/IsEquMOAWb

— Unmanned Systems Forces (@usf_army) July 16, 2026

"The goal: to paralyze the logistics of oil, fuel, and cargo bypassing sanctions. To turn every self-propelled vessel into a barge drifting aimlessly at sea, blind and deaf; the goal is not to pollute the waters with oil slicks, so no holes are to be made," Magyar emphasizes.

On the night of July 15, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces operators struck 20 Russian vessels, including 17 oil tankers, 2 gas tankers, and a tugboat.

In addition, on July 14, the Ukrainian military destroyed the Russian FSB border guard ship Izumrud with maritime drones near Novorossiysk. In 2018, it participated in an attack on Ukrainian Navy ships in the Kerch Strait area.