War reaches the Mediterranean as Ukraine strikes Russia's shadow fleet tanker

The SBU carried out a new, unprecedented special operation more than 2,000 kilometers from Ukraine's territory.

Following a multi-stage operation in neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the SBU's Alpha unit hit the so-called Russian shadow fleet tanker QENDIL using aerial drones.

It is noted that at the time of the operation, the Russian vessel was not carrying any cargo and was empty. Accordingly, the attack posed no threat to the region's environmental safety.

"Russia used this tanker to evade sanctions and earn money that was then used to wage war against Ukraine. From the standpoint of international law and the laws and customs of war, this makes it an entirely legitimate target for the SBU. The enemy must understand that Ukraine will not stop and will strike it anywhere in the world, wherever it may be," the source emphasized.

As a result of the attack, the tanker QENDIL sustained critical damage and can no longer be used for its intended purpose.

Attacks on Russia's shadow fleet

Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported, citing SBU sources, that two Russian shadow fleet tankers — Kairos and Virat — were hit by SBU Sea Baby drones equipped with an enhanced warhead.

This was a joint operation by the 13th Main Directorate of the SBU's Military Counterintelligence and the Ukrainian Navy.

Before that, it became known that explosions occurred on two tankers belonging to Russia's shadow fleet in the Black Sea near the Bosphorus Strait, causing the vessels to catch fire.

Regarding the 274-meter-long tanker Kairos, Türkiye's Ministry of Transport clarified that an explosion and fire broke out while the vessel was en route from Egypt to the Russian port of Novorossiysk. The incident occurred 28 nautical miles off the Turkish coast.

Another tanker, Virat, was damaged by an explosion approximately 35 nautical miles off the coast of Türkiye, slightly farther east in the Black Sea.